OMAHA, Neb. – Growth in farmland prices, cash rents and farm equipment sales remain strong despite the continuing threat of drought in some Midwestern and northern Plains states, according to a new survey of rural bankers released Thursday.

The report on the Rural Mainstreet Index said the index hit 55.6 in January, down from 60.6 in December. It is the index’s fourth straight month above growth neutral.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the report, said the region’s rural economy still was expanding at a moderate pace.