Nebraska farmers fuming over ‘out of control’ land valuations

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Nebraska farmers are fed up with skyrocketing land valuations.

People in Lancaster County are dealing with the highest yearly increase.

Now, one farmer is calling for a change before it gets too late.

“I don’t know where all of these numbers are coming from, but it’s gotten way out of control,” Chris Nielson said.

Nielson farms near Sterling, and he said some of his neighbors’ land valuations went up by 20% to 40% in this past year.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau released a report showing the assessed value of agricultural land went up by 14.5% statewide this year.

Lancaster County farmland valuations skyrocketed, rising by more than 42%.

Change in assessed value of agricultural land in 2025

Courtesy: Nebraska Farm Bureau

Nielson said the problem has been building over the past few years.

He said soon, many farmers simply won’t be able to afford to keep going.

“We want to be able to pass this down to our kids,” he said. “And if it’s a tax burden for us now, what’s it going to be like for them?”

He said it’s disheartening for people to have to sell land that’s been in their family for generations.

“Inputs are highest they’ve ever been, crop prices are the lowest,” Nielson said. “I mean, it just doesn’t make sense to continue the family farming thing.”

He said people from out of state are buying up the land, and they aren’t putting money back into local economies like Nebraska farmers do.

So he’s warning everyone that this could have a much larger impact.

“It’s going to affect a lot of people down the line,” Nielson said. “It’s a serious problem, and it’s only going to get worse if they don’t change it.”

He said farmers will have to raise a stellar crop this year to break even.

But it’s unlikely with the drought conditions over the past few years.

So Nielson is hoping people across the state will stand up to make a difference.

“Call your state senator in your district and voice your opinion,” he said. “I mean, there’s way more of us than there are of them. They need to hear from all of us that something needs to change. This is not the way to go about these property taxes.”