Frequently Asked Questions
What crops define Texas agriculture and where are they grown?
Texas grows an unbelievable variety of crops. Cotton brings in the absolute most money and takes up the most dirt mostly growing up in the High Plains near Lubbock and the Rolling Plains near Abilene. Farmers also grow tons of sorghum up in the High Plains. Winter wheat grows everywhere across the Rolling Plains and Panhandle.
Farmers grow massive fields of corn using giant water sprinklers in the High Plains. Down near the Gulf Coast places like El Campo and Wharton flood their fields to grow rice. West Texas farmers grow peanuts and pecans while the Rio Grande Valley pumps out massive amounts of oranges and fresh vegetables.
How does the Ogallala Aquifer situation affect Texas High Plains farmland?
The massive farming operations up in the Texas High Plains around Lubbock survive entirely on underground water from the Ogallala Aquifer. Unfortunately farmers have pumped the water out way faster than the rain can refill it. In some Panhandle counties the underground water level has completely crashed dropping 50 to 100 feet lower than it used to be.
Because drilling deeper costs a fortune many farmers have completely stopped watering their crops and gone back to praying for rain. This disappearing water is the absolute biggest risk you face if you buy farm dirt up there. You must check the exact water depth and the local water district rules before you ever spend a dime on High Plains farm dirt.
What are typical cash rents for Texas farmland?
According to 2025 USDA agricultural reports farmers pay completely different rent prices depending on the crops they grow. Great irrigated cotton and corn dirt up in Lubbock and Hale counties usually rents for $70 to $140 per acre every year. Dryland cotton and wheat dirt in the Rolling Plains only brings in $25 to $60 per acre because it totally depends on the rain.
Fruit and vegetable dirt down in the Rio Grande Valley easily pulls in $200 to $500 per acre. Renting out thick East Texas grass fields to cattle ranchers brings in $15 to $40 per acre. Overall Texas farm dirt costs less to buy than Midwest farm dirt simply because the crazy weather and disappearing water make farming here incredibly risky.
