Strong and collaborative relationships between farmland owners, tenants, and farmers are key to widespread implementation of conservation practices like prairie strips, saturated buffers, and cover crops. Read more about those collaborative relationships in the DTN article “Collaboration Spurs Conservation” here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….
Ann Johanns, an ISU Extension educator who specializes in farm management, and leasing, stated that farmland rental agreements also play an important role.
Johanns suggests that landowners and farmer-tenants talk about goals, future adjustments and rental rates, conservation objectives, and how practices will pay for them. Incorporate agreed-upon items in lease agreements. Johanns stated that long-term leases of three to five year or more are possible because conservation practices are often multiyear projects with no immediate payback.
Johanns said, “Let’s take a look at longer-term leases (where we’re going to implement conservation practices) that might have some learning curve.” “Landowners as well as renters are essential to advancing conservation practices discussions.
Officials from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), claim that handshake farm-rental arrangements are common (estimates not available) on East Coast. It hinders the adoption conservation practices on agricultural lands in order to reduce nutrient runoff to the Chesapeake Bay.
“When there’s no lease, there tends be less conversation about care for the land or making plans to use USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service), cost-share resources” in conservation practices,” said Bill Chain of CBF’s Pennsylvania ag programs manager.
The foundation seeks science-based solutions to pollution that degrades the bay and its rivers and streams. The conservation group earlier this year reported that states in the bay watershed would not be able to implement all controls and practices by 2025 according to the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. This is in order to restore the bay’s health. Read a DTN article on the subject at https://www.dtnpf.com/….
Bay restoration is only possible if there is support for landowners and farmer-tenants. Public funding is also needed to increase conservation practices on the landscape. Chain said, “I believe that if there is a better conversation about conservation implementation, then we’ll get those activities moving.”
The foundation’s top priority is encouraging farmland renters and owners to sign long-term lease agreements that include conservation provisions. This will promote soil health and water quality in agronomic systems, according to Matt Kowalski (CBF’s Virginia watershed restoration specialist).
He stated that as farmland leasing numbers increase, he expects more long-term investments to nutrient management, livestock stream exclusion and other practices.
Kowalski stated, “We won’t see long-term success unless our eyes are long-term.”
Information about farmland rentals and leases can be found at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/… https://farmdoc.illinois.edu/….
Matthew Wilde can reached at [email protected]
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