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Note: This website is intended to provide general information about legal issues, crop insurance, farm policy, and other risk management issues and should not be construed as providing legal advice. It should not be cited or relied upon as legal authority. For advice about how the issues discussed here might apply to your individual situation, you should consult an attorney.
Welcome to the Maryland Risk Management Education Blog, provided by the University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. This blog provides readers with information on risk management issues important to Maryland agriculture, upcoming events, and new materials that may interest readers.
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2025 County Rental Rates Now Available Online
A hand holding a bag of money with a crop field in the background. Image by Andrii Yalanskyi See here for the site’s reposting policy. Cash rent lease agreements continue to be the most common type of agricultural lease agreements in Maryland, offering a fixed annual payment per acre and relieving landowners of operating and marketing decisions. Each year, USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimates average cash rental rates per acre for irrigated cropl
Elizabeth Thilmany
Oct 13, 20252 min read
Best Practices in Lease Contract Negotiation
Image of combine dumping soybeans into grain cart pulled by tractor at sunset Image is by Steven Baird. This is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Introduction Agricultural leases are an essential part of Maryland agriculture. According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, 23.7 percent of all farms in Maryland lease farmland in some way. As many of you start to think about terminating leases or renewing, it's also essential to think
Serena Newton
Mar 25, 20256 min read
2024 County Rental Rates Now Available Online
Cover crop planting on the Eastern Shore by Edwin Remsberg See here for the site’s reposting policy. Cash rent lease agreements continue to be the most common type of agricultural lease in Maryland, providing a fixed annual payment per acre and relieving landowners of operating and marketing decisions. The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) annually estimates average cash rental rates per acre for irrigated cropland, non-irrigated cropland, and pastureland
Elizabeth Thilmany
Nov 21, 20241 min read
NASS Releases Delaware and Maryland Statewide Cash Rental Rate Averages for 2024
Tractor pulling disc and tilling farmland in Red River Basin by USDA See here for the site’s reposting policy. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistic Service (NASS) updated data on cash rent paid by producers in 2024. NASS collects this data from 240,000 operations across the United States annually through the Cash Rent Survey - data used by other agencies throughout USDA. The survey results give us an idea of what other tenants in the area may be paying per acre for farmla
Paul Goeringer
Aug 13, 20242 min read
County Rental Rates Are Now Available Online For 2022
Cover crop planting on the Eastern Shore by Edwin Remsberg See here for the site’s reposting policy. Cash rent lease agreements are the most common type of lease agreement in Maryland. Cash rent is a fixed amount on a per-acre basis. The owner is relieved of operating and marketing decisions in this agreement, and income is known yearly. The USDA's National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) estimates average cash rental rates per acre of irrigated cropland, non-irrigated
Elizabeth Thilmany
Oct 7, 20222 min read
NASS Releases Delaware and Maryland Statewide Cash Rental Rate Averages for 2022
NASS releases statewide rental rates recently. This post highlights those rates for Maryland, Delaware, and nationally.
Paul Goeringer
Aug 24, 20222 min read
Grant for Ag Lease Builder Website From The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment
Image of Corn Harvest. Photo Credit Edwin Remsberg The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. In February, the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment awarded the University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation, Inc. a $40,000 grant to help farmers and farm landowners form farm leases that support on-farm conservation practices, through a newly created website. The Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI) at The Universit
Sarah Everhart
May 24, 20222 min read
USDA Releases 2021 County Rental Rates for Maryland
Aerial image of grain being harvested by Edwin Remsberg This is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Each year, the National Agricultural Statistic Service (NASS) releases county rental rate data based on surveys. NASS collects this data from 240,000 farms across the United States annually through the Cash Rent Survey - data used by other agencies throughout USDA. The survey results give us an idea of what other tenants in
Paul Goeringer
Oct 19, 20211 min read
Farm Lease Notice Period Change Goes Into Effect October 1, 2021
For anyone considering renewing or terminating their existing lease agreement, be aware that the Maryland General Assembly recently amended
Megan Todd
Aug 31, 20212 min read
NASS Releases Delaware and Maryland Cash Rental Rate Averages for 2020
Image of corn being harvested by Edwin Remsberg See here for the site’s reposting policy. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistic Service (NASS) updated data on cash rent paid by farmers in 2020. NASS collects this data from 240,000 farms across the United States annually through the Cash Rent Survey - data used by other agencies throughout USDA. The survey results give us an idea of what other tenants in the area may be paying per acre for farmland. One important note: many
Paul Goeringer
Aug 13, 20202 min read
Consider Using a Flex Cash Lease for 2021, or a Modified Fixed Cash Lease
Image by Edwin Remsberg This is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. As we move through 2020 and a potentially lower period of crop prices due to issues associated with the global pandemic, many of you might be looking at renewing existing agricultural leases. While you might be utilizing fixed cash rental rates or crop-share rents, with projected low crop prices, now might be the time to consider using a flex-cash lease. Flex-cash lea
Paul Goeringer
Jun 23, 20203 min read
Holdover Tenant Required Pay Damages to Landlord for Not Leaving Rented Property at Time Lease Ends
The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. When an agricultural lease ends, usually no...
Paul Goeringer
Apr 9, 20193 min read
One Old Mare Not Enough to Create Ag Lease, Says One State Court
This post is not legal advice. See the site’s reposting policy here. As we draw closer to summer, I will start reminding you that it’s...
Paul Goeringer
May 2, 20174 min read
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