Farmland has big value in the Yakima Valley and across the state and the value is on the rise as a result of farm products gaining big sales numbers.

In Yakima County, the average sale price per acre for irrigated, high-quality and vacant farmland rose 37 percent to an estimated $5,302 between 2011 and 2014. Existing farms push the price even higher.

Statewide, the average price of farmland already cropped went up about 6 percent from $8,500 to $9,000 an acre between 2012 and 2013.

Pasco land consultant Flo Sayre says incomes on the rise in China and an aging baby boomer population are helping to drive land prices. She also says this is a business-savvy generation of farmers and investors with college degrees and long-term plans.

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