The value of farmland has doubled since 2008, according to the latest figures from the Tompkins County Department of Assessment. In 2008, after the last reappraisal, the average price was $1000 per acre; now it is $2300 per acre. For me the interesting part is that this is not due to commercial development or natural gas speculation, but a higher demand for agricultural land. There are about 500 farms in Tompkins County and 100 full time farmers. Farms constitute about one-third of the county’s 300,000 acres.
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