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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
Landowner Oriented Agricultural Law Workshop To Be Held
Poultry barns and a small farm are surrounded by forested land in Wicomico County, Md., on June 18, 2010. (Photo by Matt Rath_Chesapeake Bay Program) This is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) and the Ag Law Education Initiative will host another one-day workshop on Feb. 26th at Chesapeake College. The So You Want to Own Farmland in Maryland workshop will be from 9:30 am to
Paul Goeringer
Jan 28, 20252 min read
Landowner Oriented Agricultural Law Workshops Will Be Held Across Maryland
Image of CMREC by Edwin Remsberg See here for the site’s reposting policy. The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) and the Ag Law Education Initiative will host two one-day workshops on Jan. 22nd in Ellicott City and Jan. 29th at Wor-Wic Community College. The So You Want to Own Farmland in Maryland workshops will be from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. The free program will cover those legal issues that Maryland landowners may face. A grant funds the program through
Paul Goeringer
Dec 3, 20242 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
The University of Maryland to Host Ag Law Program on January 16 in Cockeysville
Image of cattle in a field by Chesapeake Bay Program See here for the site’s reposting policy. College Park, MD – The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) will host the, So You Want to Own Farmland in Maryland workshop on January 16th in Cockeysville from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. The program will be held at the Baltimore County Ag Center, 1114 Shawan Rd, Cockeysville, MD 21030. The free program will cover those legal issues that Maryland landowners may face.
Paul Goeringer
Dec 12, 20232 min read
NASS Releases Delaware and Maryland Statewide Cash Rental Rate Averages for 2023
See here for the site’s reposting policy. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistic Service (NASS) updated data on cash rent paid by producers in 2023. 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 farmland. One important note: many of you ask me what constitutes a reaso
Paul Goeringer
Aug 9, 20232 min read
Landowner-Oriented Agricultural Law Online Modules Now Available
Aerial image of Farmland by Chesapeake Bay Program See here for the site’s reposting policy. College Park, MD – The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) has released a new online course for rural landowners in Maryland. The So You Want to Own Farmland in Maryland course is now available through the University of Maryland’s Enterprise Learning Management System – Canvas. The free program will cover those legal issues that Maryland landowners may face. A gra
Paul Goeringer
Mar 21, 20232 min read
Landowner Oriented Agricultural Law Webinars Will Be Held in March and April
Antietam National Battlefield in Washington County, Maryland by the Chesapeake Bay Program See here for the site’s reposting policy. The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) will host five webinars via zoom every Friday starting on Friday, March 31st and ending on Friday, April 28th. The free webinars will cover those legal issues that Maryland landowners may face. A grant funds the program through the Northeast Risk Management Education Center. The web
Press Release
Feb 28, 20232 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 Statewide Cash Rental Rate Averages for 2021
Image of grain harvest 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 2021. NASS collects this data annually from 240,000 farms across the United States through the Cash Rent Survey - data used by other agencies throughout USDA. The survey results give us an idea of what other tenants in an area may be paying per acre for renting farmland. One important note: many o
Paul Goeringer
Aug 16, 20212 min read
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