Jefferson County Iowa Farmland Value Profile
- The average value of farmland in Jefferson County is $8,643 per acre which is up $822 from 2022 to 2023.
- The average price of tillable farmland per CSR2 point in Jefferson County is $113.72 for 2023 land auctions.
- Jefferson County is ranked 85 in the state of Iowa in average dollars per acre for tillable farmland.
- The highest sale of farmland in Jefferson County in 2023 was $16,900 per acre.
| Location | Southeast Iowa |
|---|---|
| County Size | 435 sq. miles |
| Total Acres | 228,017 |
| Cropland Acres | 178,100 |
| Average Price Per Acre Farmland | $8,643 |
| Average Price Per Acre for Southeast, IA | $10,460 |
| CSR2 Weighted Average | 61 |
| CSR2 Cropland Average | 76 |
| State Average CSR2 | 68.6 |
| Average Price per CSR2 | $113.72 |
| Average County Rent | $240 |
| Rent Range | $192 - $295 |
| Average rent for Southeast Iowa | $247 |
| Rent per CSR2 Point | $3.04 |
| Improved Permanent Pasture | $61 |
| Unimproved Permanent Pasture | $38 |
| Stalk Grazing per Acre | $34 |
| Hunting Rights per Acre | $21 |
Towns: Batavia, Coppock, Fairfield, Libertyville, Lockridge, Maharishi Vedic City, Packwood, Pleasant Plain
Unincorporated Areas:
Townships: Polk, Black Hawk, Penn, Walnut, Locust Grove, Center, Buchanan, Lockridge, Des Moines, Liberty, Cedar, Round Prairie
History: The first settler to be (July 1836) in what became Jefferson County was William Coop, son of Col. W. G. Coop. Enough settlers had moved into this territory by 1838 that the Territory of Iowa was approved by Congress on June 12, 1838, having been created from the Wisconsin Territory, which, in tu, had been created from land acquired in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson County came into being on January 21, 1839, as the result of an act (“An act to divide the county of Henry and establish the county of Jefferson”) presented by Col. W. G. Coop to the Iowa Territorial Legislature.
Three Commissioners were appointed, whose first task was to locate and establish the seat of Justice of Jefferson County. Fairfield was chosen (over Lockridge as Col. Coop wanted), largely because of its central location and pleasant setting on an elevated prairie. Although Henry B. Notson had some sort of claim on the land, he relinquished it, and the town was laid out in April 1839. Fairfield was incorporated in 1847. The first election of County Officials was held on the first Monday of April 1839, when three County Commissioners, a Treasurer, a Sheriff, a Recorder and a Surveyor were elected.
A change was made in 1851 – a County Court was created by the State of Iowa (Iowa became a State of the Union on December 28, 1846), which gave the County Judge powers previously exercised by the Board of County Commissioners. But on March 22, 1860, the State Legislature passed an act creating a Board of County Supervisors for each county, replacing the powers of the County Judge. An elected Supervisor from each township served on the Board, but this system was not popular and in 1871 the law was changed to a three-member Board of Supervisors.
A wooden courthouse was completed in December of 1839, but it was moved to allow a stone and brick courthouse to be built (completed in January, 1851). The current courthouse was built in 1892 at a new location.
Jefferson County Iowa Farmland Sales Resources
- Jefferson County Iowa Website
- Jefferson County Assessor GIS Website
- Land Prices on our Iowa Farmland Prices Heatmap
- Free E-Book on How to Sell Land
- Find an Iowa Estate Attorney
Selling Land with DreamDirt
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