Virginia → Bedford

Bedford County, Virginia

Pasture here rented for $18 an acre in 2026, $9 below the Virginia median of $27. That's the 13th percentile among the 57 Virginia counties reporting that year, and the 33rd percentile nationally.

The record, computed from 17 archived USDA survey years, 2008–2026
as of 2026-10-012026 surveymethodcompare your own rate

Put that in lease terms. On a quarter section of 160 acres, the gap between this county and the state median is $1,440 a year. A difference that looks small per acre is large at that scale.

Across Virginia's counties, the middle half of county averages in 2026 runs $21.50 to $30 an acre. Individual leases spread wider than county averages do, because grass, water, fencing and term length all move the price. An offer far outside this band should come with a reason the other side can say out loud.

Since 2008, this county's rate has risen 33 percent: $13.50 then, $18 in 2026. A lease left alone over that stretch has been repricing itself by default.

The counties next door

The comparison made at the kitchen table is with the neighbors. This year, rates across the county line go from $16 to $35 an acre. Every bordering county NASS tracks is listed at its most recent published rate.

Every year on record

Year$/acre
2008$13.50
2009$16
2010$14.50
2011$14.50
2012$17
2013$15
2014$17.50
2016$15.50
2017$17.50
2019$17.50
2020$18.50
2021$16
2022$14.50
2023$14.50
2024$16
2025$15.50
2026$18

This page prints clean from your browser. Take it to the table.

Planned: the Bedford County negotiation packet. A one-page brief to hand across the table, lease terms as ranchers contribute them (water, fencing, maintenance, term length) and the stocking-rate bridge between dollars per acre and per-head rates. The rates, the history and the neighbors table above stay free. What's free today.

Holding an offer for Bedford County ground? Compare it with this benchmark in your browser. Your numbers never leave this device.