As summer winds down, the ISU Extension Farm Management Team is hosting Farmland Leasing informational meetings across the state. The annual meetings are offered to address questions that land owners, tenants or other interested individuals have about leasing farmland, as well as to provide resources to make decisions regarding farmland ownership, management, and leasing practices as they plan for the future.

Cass County Extension will be hosting a meeting on Tuesday, August 11th from 9-until 11:30-a.m., at the Cass County Community Center, 805 West 10th Street in Atlantic. A meeting in Page County will be held in Shenandoah on August 26th, also from 9-until 11:30-a.m., at the Rose Garden on W. Ferguson Avenue.

The Farm Leasing Arrangements meeting in Atlantic will focus on current issues related to farmland ownership, management and leasing arrangements. Tim Eggers, ISU Extension & Outreach Field Agriculture Economist will discuss Trends in Farm Land Values, Cash Rental Rates and Costs of Production. The special emphasis topic for this year’s farm leasing arrangements is negotiating a fair cash rental rate. Attendees will gain understanding of current cash rental rate surveys and factors driving next year’s rents such as market trends and input costs. Additional information on the 2014 Iowa State Land Value Survey, 2014 Farm Bill, flexible leases, Corn Suitability Rating Index (CSR2) and Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy will also be discussed.

The Farm Leasing Arrangements meetings in Atlantic and Shenandoah cost $15 per person, and pre-registration is requested by August 10th for the Atlantic session, and August 24th for the meeting in Shenandoah, to ensure space is available. Each registrant will receive a 100-page workbook with resources regarding land leasing agreements such as surveys, sample written lease agreements and termination forms and many other publications, as well as a copy of the day’s presentation.

To pre-register for the Atlantic location, call the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or email xcass@iastate.edu. To pre-register for the Shenandoah session, call the Page County Extension Office at 712-542-5171.

Information on other leasing meeting locations around the state, as well as links to ISU Extension farmland leasing resources, can be found on the Ag Decision Maker website at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/info/meetings.html