Farm managers, rural appraisers, real estate brokers, and others interested in the land market in Iowa gathered recently for the 84th annual Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference. The conference holds the distinction as the longest running on the ISU campus, and was originally started by Dr. William Murray.

It brought in 233 attendees this year, who projected Iowa land values would increase 33% in 2011, said Professor Mike Duffy, conference host and organizer. “Since 1964, the projections have averaged within 2% of the reported Iowa land values.  If the 33% increase proves correct it would be the largest annual increase in Iowa land values,” he said.