Farmland has been susceptible to boom-bust cycles where a large run-up in land prices is followed by a rapid decrease in prices. Two such cycles occurred in the last century, one beginning in the 1920s and ending in the 1930s, and the other from 1973 to 1986. The end of these cycles is marked by farm financial distress due to accumulated debt and the inability of earned cash flow to make the interest and principal payments.