As summer winds down, ISU Extension Ag Economists are hosting Farmland Leasing informational meetings across the state. These Farm Leasing Arrangements meetings will give landowners, tenants, and agri-business professionals information and materials they need to make decisions regarding farmland ownership, management, and leasing practices as they plan for the future. Meetings in Cass and Adair Counties are scheduled for Friday, August 29th.

The Farm Leasing Arrangements meeting in Atlantic will focus on strategies for landowners and tenants to manage their resources with declining crop prices. Cass County Extension will be hosting the meeting on August 29 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Cass County Community Center, 805 West 10th Street in Atlantic. That afternoon, from 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM, Adair County Extension will host a meeting at the Warren Cultural Center, 154 Public Square in Greenfield.

Estimating a cash rental rate is a constant of the farm leasing arrangements meeting. This year’s decreased profitability will require landlords and tenants to look closely at 2015 production cost estimates. Nineteen percent of cash leases in Iowa are flexible in which the rent is not determined until after the crop is harvested. Flexible leases work during times of high prices and low prices. The formulas underlying flexible leases may need to be reviewed.

The farm safety net has changed with the new farm bill. Landowners have received, or will receive, notification about updating base acres and yields. The Farm Leasing Arrangements meeting costs $15 per person, which includes the 100-page Farm Leasing Arrangements booklet and a copy of the presentation.

Pre-registration is required by August 27. To pre-register for the Atlantic location, call the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or email xcass@iastate.edu; for the Greenfield location, call Adair County Extension at 641-743-8412, or email krohrig@iastate.edu.