Business : Farmland Leasing Meetings to Address Topics Impacting Owners & Tenants

Meetings to focus on improved understanding and increased communication with farm leases

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is hosting multiple farmland leasing meetings during July and August at various times and locations throughout the state. The annual meetings are offered to address questions that Iowa landowners, tenants or other interested individuals have about leasing farmland.

Core components of the 2023 program will be land values and cash rent trends, land ownership and tenure, methods for determining a fair rental rate, the latest legal updates that impact farm leases and land ownership, and communication between tenants and landowners.

The recently released Iowa Farmland Ownership and Tenure Survey indicates 58% of Iowa farmland is leased, with the majority of farmland leases being cash rental arrangements.

"The goal of these programs is to share resources and information with Iowa farmland owners and tenants and strengthen leasing relationships," said Ann Johanns, extension program specialist. "Improved communication and better understanding of the other party in lease negotiations creates stronger relationships that benefit Iowa agriculture across the state."

A 100-page workbook to compliment the program topics includes resources regarding land leasing agreements such as surveys, sample written lease agreement and termination forms, along with many other publications.

The leasing meetings being held across Iowa are facilitated by farm management specialists with ISU Extension and Outreach. A listing of the ISU Extension and Outreach county offices hosting meetings is available online. (The nearest meeting is on July 19, at 1:30 PM at the Buchanan County Extension. The number to call for more information is (319) 334-7161 2600. The event will be held at: Swan Lake Boulevard, Independence with Instructor Patrick Hatting. The fee for the class is $20.)

Participants are encouraged to pre-register for the location they plan to attend, walk-in attendants may have higher registration costs. To pre-register, call or e-mail the local county extension office host site.

Two virtual options are also offered this year, a northeast Iowa focused webinar, along with a statewide webinar. The webinar options in past years have been a welcome addition for out-of-state landowners, or those who are not able to attend a program in-person. Topics from the in-person leasing program will be presented by farm management specialists, with the opportunity to ask questions.

Paid registrations have access to the live event, webinar recording and electronic version of the 100-page workbook. The northeast Iowa webinar will be held Aug. 25, from 9 a.m. to noon. The statewide webinar is Aug. 29, also from 9 a.m. to noon.

The Ag Decision Maker leasing section provides useful materials for negotiating leases, information on various types of leases, lease forms and newly updated Decision Tools.