Farmland in your area 2025: Yorkshire and Humberside

Greater numbers of equipped farms and land sales in Yorkshire and Humber are now taking place off-market.

Interest from neighbouring landowners with expansion plans, inter-family changes, and tenants buying their rented holdings are reasons why fewer vendors opted to market properties publicly in 2025.

That trend has, in many cases, seen properties changing hands at a price premium and giving buyers the advantage of completing more swiftly.

See also: Land in your area: North-west England

Strong performance in the pig and poultry sectors have brought buyers to the market.

This has resulted in some record prices sometimes driven by the comparative affordability of equipped units compared to new-build costs.

James Walton, land agent, Brown & Co

Brown & Co completed a substantial number of sales of equipped farms and bare agricultural land across the region in 2025, and a significant proportion of transactions took place privately.

In terms of both volume and acreage, in Yorkshire and Humber we handled more private sales than public launches.

This demonstrates that open market evidence alone does not give the full picture.

Strong demand from rollover buyers has continued to sustain the farmland sector.

And there remains consistent interest from neighbouring farmers and from investors diversifying their portfolios.

Where we have seen weaker demand is for land of lower quality or in less favourable locations; this has been more difficult to sell.

There is nothing new in this theme though and the position is unlikely to change given the loss of the Sustainable Farming Incentive and no tangible government proposal on future stewardship schemes.

Market values across the region vary considerably, with an increasing gap between the top of the market, where we have achieved sales of £18,000/acre, and at the bottom at £6,500/acre.

We anticipate a continuation of this variance as buyers become more selective in their criteria.

The majority of our sales in the region have ranged between £9,000/acre and £13,000/acre.

One very consistent theme is the increased time it takes from agreeing heads of terms to completing a deal, with delays at the Land Registry, legal formalities, obtaining searches, negotiating overages and the timing of bank valuations and funding all having an impact.

I anticipate that the market in 2026 is likely to mirror what has occurred in 2025.

Tom Watson, director, Cundalls

Death, divorce, debt and downsizing have again been the biggest drivers of sales in 2025.

This was despite predictions that changes to inheritance tax would bring more farms and land to market.

I hadn’t anticipated the potential drop in land prices that some commentators were predicting last year.

And I am pleased to report that strong prices were achieved in what has been a very good trading year.

There were many sales highlights for Cundalls, with the star of the show Southfield House, an equipped arable farm at Burton Fleming.

Against a backdrop of very strong interest, it culminated in a telephone auction involving multiple bidders and a sale price considerably higher than the £5m guide.

I also acted as purchaser in the private sale of a high-quality, fully equipped Wolds farm of just under 1,000 acres.

This was a sale I believe demonstrated confidence in the land market and the agricultural sector in general.

The one market that has cooled is investment purchases.

Interest rates rises have pushed up the earning potential of cash which, combined with tax changes, has dampened interest.

Some investment farms achieved yields of less than 1% and investors are now looking for better returns by exiting, depending on the ease and timeframe of gaining vacant possession.

I don’t foresee price drops for “best in class” properties.

But average-quality land in unfashionable areas is much harder to sell and must therefore be sensibly priced to generate interest.

Farms sold in 2025

Grade 2 land at Leven © Brown & Co

A 113-acre block of Grade 2 land at Leven, near Beverley, generated strong interest among local farmers and investors.

Brown & Co says competitive bidding during an informal tender process saw the guide price of £8,000/acre “well exceeded”.

The land, which is split into four fields, has a Countryside Stewardship scheme in place until 2026.

Southfield House Farm © Cundalls

Southfield House Farm, a fully-equipped arable farm at Burton Fleming, Driffield, came to the market as a probate sale.

The 320-acre ring-fenced holding with a house and buildings was launched by Cundalls in May 2025. 

It sold at almost 20% above the £5m guide to a farmer with other business interests, with completion achieved in October 2025.

What’s on the market?

Low Overblow Farm © Cundalls

Probate brings Low Overblow Farm to the market at Stape, Pickering, North Yorkshire.

The 62-acre grassland upland farm with a house in need of modernisation and farm buildings is being sold by Cundalls at public auction on 11 December 2025 at offers over £500,000.