“But one management style won't always be successful. You can't be caught up in doing things just one way, because that's the way you've always done it. Successful operators take the time to look at other ways of thinking about managing a farm,” says Lay.

Wells Fargo's Swanson adds, “You need to get out of your comfort zone. If you're operating your farm the same way you did five years ago, you're falling behind your competitors. New technology has increased efficiency dramatically.

“If you're comfortable, you're not challenging yourself enough,” he says. “Other people are getting ahead of you.”

It takes discipline, Swanson adds. “Sometimes you need to override your ego. Only about 60% of the acres farmed are moneymakers. Twenty percent of the acres break even and 20% lose money,” he says. “You need to resize yourself when needed and get off the poor land, even if your ego is telling you to farm as much as you can.”

If you do decide to battle cash rents beyond a reasonable level of return, be ready to do it on all your acres and be ready to suffer the consequences if the market moves against you, warns Lay.

“Don't think you can bid up one farm and keep your other landlords happy with a lower bid,” he says. “It doesn't hurt to let a piece of ground go if somebody starts a bidding war. You're better off working with your remaining landlords.”

And, you'll be more likely to beat that $50 average.