Are you farming on a handshake?
In Kansas, oral farm and pastureland leases are widely utilized between landowners and their farm tenants – but should they be?
What if a farm tenant buys all of their necessary inputs for the upcoming season, only to receive notice in January that their tenancy will be terminated on March 1? Or imagine that a farm tenant overpumps a water right, leading to a civil penalty and a state-imposed reduction in quantity for the next season.
These risks (and many others) can be addressed with a clear, written lease that sets out expectations and provides protections for both sides.
I’m not going to recap all of the legal specifics about Kansas oral farm and pastureland lease laws here (see the links below for excellent resources), but I do want to offer a friendly nudge: as winter slows things down, it might be the perfect time for landowners and tenants to put those handshake agreements in writing.
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