The 2016 land market campaign was an extremely late one, with the majority of spring farm sales only launched to the market in May and June as a result of the horrendously wet weather conditions throughout February to April.

The late season probably deterred some prospective sellers from actually bringing their farm to the market, some of whom are waiting until spring 2017 in the hope better weather and a more buoyant market.

While adverse weather might influence the decisions of sellers, it can also severely affect the actions of farmers. For many, the late spring brought a bucketload of challenges and buying land was definitely not at the forefront of farmers’ minds early in the year.

In terms of supply, it’s clear that the volume of land brought to the market this year is back in many counties, with September providing some respite in certain regions where a number of sizeable units were offered for sale.

However, despite the drop in the supply of land to the market, average prices in some regions still fell, others experienced some surprising results, while much of the country remained steady. It’s clear that land values continue to be significantly influenced by the need for local buyers who have the ability to purchase.

The drop in milk prices earlier in the year had a major impact on the demand for land from dairy farmers. It also majorly affected the decisions made by lending institutions and their willingness to lend to all farmers, not just dairy farmers.

For larger blocks, there was a stronger chance of some outside interest, which, up to the Brexit referendum in June, may have included some Northern buyers. However, since then this market has almost collapsed.

Despite the negativity across most of the farming sectors, demand for land still remained steady. Some surprising results were recorded at a number of auctions across the country, most notably in Leinster where €15,000/acre and more was realised. However, while these exceptional results might have been achieved at a small number of auctions, the general run was from €6,000 to €11,000/acre. Deals were reached and farms got across the line.

This week we take a special look at the land market across each of the four provinces. Nathan Tuffy explores the market in Connacht, Peter McCann travels North, while Tommy Moyles takes a spin around Munster. We outline what is driving the demand for land in each province and get an insight into some of the local burning issues.