Given the low turnover in farmland ownership, access to farmland through rental markets is an important option for entry into farming or expanding existing farming operations. In 2014, 39 percent of farmland, or 355 million acres, in the 48 contiguous states was rented. Of this share, 80 percent was owned…
Walt Neff has the key to a successful, long-term relationship, whether it’s a marriage or a generational family farm. “Communication. That’s the biggest secret right there,” he said. Neff is part of a landlord group that includes his two brothers and a cousin. Neff’s son, David, is the group’s primary…
As the end of the year approaches, it’s a good time for landlords to review their farm leases. The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at the Vermont Law School has developed an online Farmland Access Legal Toolkit to provide a resource for both landlords and farm tenants. The toolkit…
In an industry where keeping the family farm in the family is often paramount, Jan Abrams’ father, George M. Miller, gave her a gift. “My father made it clear that the farm is a business. He said, ‘I don’t want you, out of some sense of sentimentality, to hang onto…
Nonfarming landlords and beginning farmers who want to learn to market their own wheat have options…it might just take a little leg work. “The secret is education and understanding what it is you are doing and the ramifications of your decisions,” explained Kevin Duling, co-founder and manager of KD Investors,…
