Current and future landowners and tenants should make plans to attend one of several free land management workshops sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. “Managing Agricultural Land for the 21^st Century” will cover current trends in cash rental rates, lease provisions, and crop and grazing land considerations.

At each site registration is at 9:15 a.m., with the program starting at 9:30 a.m. and ending by 3 p.m.  The Geneva site, part of the Farmers and Ranchers College, and the Lancaster County site include lunch. At the other two sites, participants will be released for lunch on their own. 

Nebraska Extension Educators Allan Vyhnalek, Aaron Nygren, and Jim Jansen conduct research and outreach in land management, agronomy, and beef production. They will address common agricultural landlord and tenant questions, such as:

• What does an equitable rental rate look like for my land?
• How do I manage a farmland lease?
• What should I expect for communications between the landlord and tenant?
• What does a soil test tell me?
• I hear about organic or natural production; how does that vary from what my farmer is currently doing?
• If corn or soybeans are not making money, should something else be raised on my land?
• What are key pasture leasing considerations including stocking rates?
• Who is responsible for cedar tree removal from grazing land?

“Landlords and tenants often struggle with land management questions.” said Allan Vyhnalek, Extension educator and workshop presenter. “Both are concerned with fair treatment, but it can be difficult to keep up with the current trends. Our workshop will provide participants with up-to-date information so they can be confident about their lease arrangements.”

This programs are free and open to the public with funding provided by the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture under award number 2015-49200-24226. 

For more information on the program, contact Allan Vyhnalek, extension educator, farm succession, 402-472-1771, avyhnalek2@unl.edu or Jim Jansen, extension economist for eastern Nebraska, 402-261-7572, jjansen4@unl.edu. For more information on meetings at individual sites, please contact the local host educator.