Individuals who may be in a farmland lease agreement or who are looking to start one are encouraged to attend an ISU Extension program.

ISU Greene County Extension Farm and Agribusiness Management Specialist Alexis Stevens is leading a Farmland Lease Agreement class this Thursday from 9-11:30am at the Extension Office in Jefferson. She says the program will cover topics such as terminating or starting a lease agreement, determining a fair 2024 cash rental rate, good communication between the landlord and tenant, as well as factoring farm economy with crop prices and the cost of production. 

Stevens believes this program is important because 58 percent of the farmland in Greene County is cash rented and if changes need to be made to an agreement, those must be done by September 1st.

“It is not fun having to negotiate something, especially if you have to negotiate it every year. It’s like buying a brand new car and nobody really enjoys that. So we talk about communication skills, and checklists so you don’t forget things, and so you don’t feel flustered. If you want to roll play it we can even rollplay how to do a lease. But it really comes down to communication. Good communication, having things written down and discussing what you (landowner and tenant) want.”     

The cost to attend is $20 per person or $30 for a couple and each participant will receive a 100-page resource book. Contact the Greene County Extension Office at 515-386-2138 or stop by to sign up by Wednesday’s deadline.