(Antigo, Shawano, Coleman, Oconto Falls) If you own or rent farm land in Wisconsin, how much do you understand about the process of renting that land? Do you need a contract? What should be in the contract? How much is the land really worth? These and other questions that surround the process of renting farm land are the focus of workshops being conducted in the area in December.
University of Wisconsin – Madison, Division of Extension is providing the opportunities for owners of farmland and agricultural producers to find out about land rent realities and options. These free in-person workshops are sponsored by the Extension offices of Langlade, Marinette, Oconto, and Shawano Counties. Registration is not required and all interested persons are encouraged to attend.
There are four options to attend this discussion. The first will be held on Tuesday, December 9th beginning at 12:30 p.m. at the Langlade Cty. Resource Center building (837 Clermont St., Antigo) in the Eau Claire River Room. There are two options on Thursday, December 11th, the earlier session is in the Shawano County Courthouse lower level meeting rooms starting at 10:30 a.m. and the evening session, 6:30 p.m. start, is at the Pound Town Hall, located at W8484 Cty. Hwy. B, Coleman, WI. The final workshop will be on Friday, Dec. 12th at the Oconto Falls Community Library, 251 N. Main St., beginning at 12:30 p.m. If in doubt about weather issues for these meetings, contact either the Marinette County Extension office at 715-732-7514, or Scott Reuss at 715-701-0966.
Crops/Soils Educator Scott Reuss will lead the discussion of the details that you should consider when negotiating a farm rental contract, and why having a contract is important. He will also detail some of the advantages and disadvantages of different types of annual or multi-year leasing contracts. Current data regarding land rental rates in the multi-county area will be shared and discussed, as well.
Although a written contract is not a legal requirement, it does allow for protections for both parties and allows the producer involved to more readily access crop insurance and governmental programs. Many different things can go into a contract, but the most important center on timing, payment processes, restrictions, and opportunities for flexibility when unusual cropping conditions occur.
Contract templates of multiple types will be available as handouts, ranging from extremely simple to more complex arrangements. However, you do need to make sure they match legal needs and the true needs and desires of both parties. The discussion will focus on basic cropland rental situations, but can expand to building leases, grazing land, and other situations which attendees are interested in discussing.
If you have questions about these topics, contact Reuss in the Marinette County office at 715-732-7510 or via e-mail at scott.reuss@wisc.edu If you cannot attend a program, another good source of farmland leasing information is found at
The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in compliance with state and federal law. To request an interpreter, materials in an alternative language or format, or other services to make this workshop more accessible, contact Nancy at nancy.servais@wisc.edu or 715-732-7514 as soon as possible prior to the program.
