Ag Land Lease and Rental Agreements

If you are unsure about hiring a lawyer for your Wisconsin farm, you’re not alone. Across the United States, farmers express uncertainty about working with attorneys. This article offers tips to find, interview, and select the right attorney for your farm’s legal needs.

It is important to consider how and when a farmland lease may end.  State law provides default rules for termination in the event that a landlord and tenant fail to discuss and document this topic.

Like any contract, a lease is a package deal. Landlords and tenants should carefully consider all of the terms offered by the other party before making a decision. 

Under Wisconsin law, a “lease” means an agreement, whether oral or written, for transfer of possession of real property, or both real and personal property, for a definite period of time. These leases are also a type of contract, so principles of contract law apply too.

What makes for a fair, robust and resilient ag or farm lease agreement? This video is part of a series that will include an example dialog between land/farm owner and renter as they negotiate the specific details of a lease agreement, highlighting important resources, tools and considerations to inform a resilient and robust agreement that serves both parties as well as discussing specific leasing topics