Farm sales plunge to record low as prices keep climbing
Only 3076 farms sold in the first half of 2026, a record low, yet prices rose 7.6 per cent.
Fewer farms are changing hands, but the ones that do are worth more. In the first six months of 2026, farm sales hit their lowest level on record: just 3076 properties across 1.72 million hectares.
The gap between what owners want and what buyers will pay is driving the decline. At the same time, the national median farm price rose 7.6 per cent to $10,719 per hectare.
The market is splitting in two: large, well-capitalised farmers are buying prime land, while smaller operators are leasing or share-farming instead. Livestock prices boosted demand for grazing land, but grain markets stayed flat as input costs ate into margins.
- 3076 farms sold
- Record low sales
- 1.72 million hectares
- Land across sales
- $10,719 per hectare, up 7.6 per cent
- Median farm price rise
- Bendigo Bank farmland values report
- Source
Why it mattersIt signals a shift in how Australian farmland is owned and farmed, consolidation into fewer, larger operations rather than broader ownership.
AustraliaThe trend means fewer young Australians or new farmers will be able to afford to buy land, reshaping rural property ownership and farm structure.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 h ago
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