I’m in Montgomery county Illinois ( southern tip) rent is between 200 to 300 bucks per acre corn is averaging 230 this year beans are all over the place but mainly 70 , we’ve had good rain except for May and June we’re a little short

We just had some land north of me bring 34,800 an acre for some farmland.......never can be developed. Purely row crop farm. Cost a bit over 4 million for the farm. Set a new record.........course, it is extremely fertile Missouri bottom land soils.

$34,800 per acre
The bill of sale from Dyer and Fenner Auctioneers said the record sale happened last week (Sept. 21, 2023) in Saline County, Missouri. Two farmers got into a bidding war, and, in only 15 minutes, the 115 acres set the new record at $34,800 per acre.

I guess the days of 40 acres and raising a bunch of kids on it are gone! Farming is not about making a living anymore.

Some of the wealthiest people i no are farmers!
Most have big farms or nothing at all.
My cousin farms about 3000 acres,and he said that 40 years ago
42 different farmers had farm that land.
Land around here is 300 plus,and sign a lease,because they don't
want to prep the land and have someone out bid them next year.
We have farmers coming from 50 miles away renting ground around here!
Getting hard to move machinery around on roads anymore,so they sometimes
move @ 3 or 4 in the morning

Grazing improves soil, you need to explain that to your potential landlord.being able to see green fields and improving soil vs a black desert half the year with soil being depleted are different scenarios that require different rent. If your land lord is in it for the longterm and cares about the ground he will understand and give you a bit of a break hopefully

I have a friend, customer, who works for UPS and runs about 400 ewes. He has a bit more property then you but no irrigation. During the summer he tries to find clover or fesque to ease for pasture. Nothing really likeds fescue but if it is what they have it is what they eat. He only brings them home for lambing. After lambing he puts them on leased rye grass. They love that.
That also screws up some of my trapping at times as one of my closest farms is where he puts some ewes and lambs. He also has dogs that stay out with the sheep in some fields.
They are pretty good at what they do and people friendly most times. Eagles are a problem and his oldest dog does not allow them around. The two younger ones not sure about as I can goose hunt in the fields they are in as they don't bother the geese. Old one does.
It used to be ack in the 90s a few cents a day per head for grazing fees. Don't know now.

You trap so you might be able to put a protection layer of trap around a lease like this to help keep Coyote and red fox out.