Farm Lease Builder Tool – Free

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Taylor in Beginning Farmers, Business, Farming Resources, Finding Land, Internet Resources // 0 Comments

New Farm Lease Builder Tool – Free to Use and Part of a Comprehensive Farmland Access Toolkit

The team at Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems is excited to share a new free tool they have developed for farmers and landowners: the Farm Lease Builder.

Leases are essential in promoting access to farmland, particularly for young and beginning farmers. But like any legal process, creating a lease can be intimidating and expensive. That’s why the team at CAFS developed the Farm Lease Builder Tool. It guides participants through a series of questions, allowing them to customize the details: from rent, to maintenance, insurance, chemical use, conservation easements, and more. The end result is a fully-drafted lease ready for legal review.

The Farm Lease Builder Tool is just one component of the Farmland Access Legal Toolkit, a comprehensive resource designed to help farmers and landowners affordably access, transfer, and conserve farmland. This toolkit explains legal arrangements that provide farmers more affordable and equitable farmland access and help landowners balance earning income for retirement with making their land affordable to the next generation of farmers, and makes useful information available to farmer and landowner advocates.

When Daniel and Michelle Greenfield decided to lease public land for their berry farm in northeast Ohio, they worked diligently to ensure they were committing to an arrangement that made sense for their family and business. While your farm may not lease public lands, understanding land leases is an important component for the success of many farming operations. A lawyer can help to ensure the lease is written fairly and logically, saving time, money, and energy in the long-term. Learn more about the Greenfield’s and find other farmers’ stories at https://farmlandaccess.org/farmer-stories/.

Step 1 – Answer the Farm Lease Builder questionnaire.

Step 2 – A Draft Lease Document will be Created Based on Your Answers

Step 3 – Discuss and Finalize the Draft with Your Lawyer and the Other Party

Step 4 – Sign the Lease and Start Farming!