**Leasing update** Farmland owners invited to attend informational meetings on leasing

The SADC and NOFA-NJ are sponsoring three regional meetings for landowners on June 4, June 6, and June 14 to discuss leasing resources, opportunities, and experiences.

The meetings are specially-designed for farmland owners who are currently making, or interested in making, their land available for farming. Landowners who attend will:

  • Learn about the access-to-land issues faced by farmers
  • Hear from farmer speakers on their leasing experiences and recommendations
  • Network with and hear from other landowners
  • Provide feedback to help shape the SADC's development of new leasing resources
  • Learn about leasing opportunities through Farm Link and NOFA-NJ

 The meetings are scheduled for:

 A fourth meeting for non-profit, land trust, and municipal/county landowners is scheduled for Thursday, June 12, 2012 from 2-4 p.m. at D&R Greenway in Princeton, NJ.

For more information or to let us know you are planning to attend, contact hillary.barile@ag.state.nj.us or (609) 984-2504. See also the general announcement about the meetings.
 

The meetings above are part of a project the SADC is working on in 2012 to enhance leasing resources for New Jersey farmers and landowners. Please visit the SADC's leasing project page to read more about the project and additional opportunities to provide feedback on your leasing experiences and interests.

The project will result in a new leasing guidebook that will be added to the resources below.

 

Creating tenure agreements

The following resources may help when creating tenure agreements between farmers and farm owners.

A Lease Agreement Guide for Landowners and Farmers - A concise guide that presents landowners and farmers with the basic elements to consider when discussing or structuring a lease agreement - Available online through the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

Holding Ground: A Guide to Northeast Farmland Tenure and Stewardship - A publication that addresses farmland access, transfer, affordability, and stewardship issues. "Holding Ground" examines leases and other tenure arrangements, and it contains sample lease provisions with explanations, sample stewardship standards, worksheets, and case studies. Specific sections include: Principles and challenges of farmland tenure; Short-term leases; Long-term leases and other non-traditional tenure models; Paths to ownership; Farmland stewardship; and Negotiating, monitoring and enforcing agreements.

Holding Ground is a publication of the Intervale Foundation (VT) and the New England Small Farm Institute (NESFI) (MA). Its eighteen authors include farmers, landowners, attorneys, and land use specialists (162 pages). The NJ Farm Link Program has a limited number of copies available specifically for NJ landowners and farmers ($15/copy - contact NJ Farm Link at 609-984-2504 to obtain one). For additional copies ($25/copy), please visit the NESFI bookstore.

Additional sample lease and leasing resources - A page of resources compiled by Land For Good, a non-profit specializing in access to land, leasing, farm transfer planning, and more.

A New Lease on Farmland: Assuring a Future for Farming in the Northeast - An essay published by the E. F. Schumacher Society with a section that discusses leasing considerations.

Computing a Cropland Cash Rental Rate - An Iowa State University Extension fact-sheet that discusses approaches for determining and considering a rental rate.

Business Partners: A Joint Business Agreement Guide (Partnerships, Mergers, Joint Ventures, Strategic Alliances, and Contracts) - Available through NY Farm Link (cost: $12).

 

 

 

 

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