North Dakota’s cropland values have increased more than 10% for the third consecutive year, according to an annual survey.

North Dakota cropland values increased 11.59% heading into the spring of 2024, from 2,863 per acre to 3,174 per acre, said Bryon Parman, North Dakota State University Extension agricultural finance specialist.

The increase follows cropland values appreciating 10.92% and 13.46% in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Cash rental rates for cropland saw increases between 3.12% and 6.82% during those years.

The statewide average cash rental rate moved upward from $75.90 per acre to $78.70 per acre.

“A jump in land values across North Dakota that large is a bit surprising given the decline in net farm incomes from 2022 to 2023, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s projected decline from 2023 to 2024,” Parman said in a news release. “It is also a bit surprising that such a large increase in land prices have not pulled cash rental rates higher, especially given that interest rates have been significantly higher over the last few years.”

The data is based on the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands Annual Land Survey. The original survey data can be found at:

https://www.land.nd.gov/resources/north-dakota-county-rents-prices-annual-survey

.

The largest increases in land prices occurred in the north-central and south-central regions with both increasing more than 20%. The largest increases in rental rates for cropland values occurred in the southwest and south-central regions where both region’s rental rates increased more than 8%.

Cropland values in the north Red River Valley and northwestern regions were also both up more than 10% in 2024, with the remainder of the state’s regions increasing in the mid-to-high single digits.

The last time cropland in North Dakota saw a rapid rise in land values from 2008 to 2013, there was about a seven-year period to follow where land prices and rental rates completely flattened from 2014 to 2020.

This story was originally published on NorthDakotaMonitor.com

FARGO — An investigation is underway after a garage fire occurred Wednesday night, May 1, near the North Dakota State University campus.

The call came in just before 7 p.m. Someone reported smoke coming from a garage located in an alley in the 1000 block of 17th Street North.

Firefighters put the fire out quickly. Investigators say damage is minimal, just some normal “garage stuff” on the floor burned.

The cause of the fire is not being released.

Officers were seen canvassing the area, including looking under cars in a nearby parking lot.

Investigators were on scene for nearly two hours.

Matt Henson is an Emmy award-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Prior to joining WDAY in 2019, Matt was the main anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks for four years.

BISMARCK — North Dakota K-12 Superintendent Kirsten Baesler announced the 2024 county teachers of the year Wednesday, May 1.

Forty-nine teachers were chosen from a pool of 356 different nominees for the honor, according to a news release from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. Two teachers were chosen from LaMoure County as they both tied in the award’s scoring system. The ultimate goal of the program is for one teacher to be represented from each of the state’s 53 counties.

The county teachers of the year were:

• Adams: Anna Block, Hettinger Public School
• Barnes: Tresa Cruff, Barnes County North
• Benson: Abel Sacatani, Warwick Public School
• Billings: Jennifer O’Brien, Prairie Elementary School
• Bottineau: Casey Mills, Westhope Public School
• Bowman: Amy Burke, Bowman County
• Burke: Whitney Rick, Burke Central
• Burleigh: Kendall Bergrud, Wachter Middle School
• Cass: Deb Pieper, West Fargo High School
• Cavalier: Lane Lindseth, Langdon Area Schools
• Dickey: Anna Kemmer, Southeast Region Career and Technology Center, Oakes
• Divide: Rayme Haggin, Divide County Elementary
• Dunn: Vicki Carney, Killdeer Public School
• Emmons: Kadie Walls, Linton Public School
• Foster: Kristen Hewitt, Carrington High School
• Golden Valley: Chelsey Erdmann, Lincoln Elementary
• Grand Forks: John Stempinski, Valley Middle School
• Grant: Kayla Tatro, Roosevelt Public School, Carson
• Griggs: Kayla Danielson, Griggs County Central
• Hettinger: Eamon Alido, Mott Regent Public School
• Kidder: Danielle Wachter, Kidder County Public School
• LaMoure: Cameron Young, Edgeley Public School; Heidi Mathern, Edgeley Public School
• Logan: Christina Gross, Napoleon Public School
• McHenry: Emma Cook, TGU Towner
• McIntosh: Alli Mogen, Wishek Public School
• McKenzie: Tiffany Olson, Fox Hills Elementary
• McLean: Seleena Briones, White Shield School
• Mercer: Katie Isaak, Beulah Elementary School
• Morton: Mary McHugh, Sweet Briar School
• Mountrail: Erica McRae, Parshall High School
• Nelson: Jill Wall, Lakota Elementary School
• Oliver: Lynn Schwalk, Center-Stanton High School
• Pembina: Heather Lafferty, North Border
• Pierce: Ashleigh Blikre, Ely Elementary
• Ramsey: Kelly Anderson, Sweetwater Elementary
• Ransom: Ashley Nudell, Lisbon Public Schools
• Renville: Chaleigh Clark, MLS Mohall
• Richland: Kristi Nordick, Zimmerman Elementary
• Rolette: Brooke Zupan, St. John’s Public School
• Sheridan: Lucas Senske, McClusky-Goodrich High School
• Sioux: Tessa Jahner, Solen High School
• Steele: Denise Carlson, Finley-Sharon Public School
• Stutsman: Charity Dosch, Montpelier Public School
• Traill: Wendy Dafforn, Hatton Eielson School
• Walsh: Trisha Cole, Park River Area School
• Ward: Macie Harris-Nelson, Kenmare Public Schools
• Wells: Angel Opdahl, Central Regional Special Education Unit
• Williams: Kari Hall, Williston High School

The county winners are eligible to apply for the state teacher of the year award. The 2025 teacher of the year will be announced in a Sept. 27 ceremony at the Capitol, the release said.

The current teacher of the year is Sheila Peterson, a physical education teacher at Wachter Middle School in Bismarck.

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