Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Iowa Land Tenure Working Group

Go to the Sustainable Agriculture Land Tenure (SALT) program website

Purpose

For sale sign on rural landThis group, initiated in 2011 as part of the Leopold Center's Policy Initiative, was established to increase discussion, networking and to facilitate additional research regarding the interplay of land tenure arrangements, public policy and the sustainability and resiliency of Iowa's agricultural system. The group is a broad-based network of organizations with an interest and capacity to conduct research and develop recommendations regarding the sustainability and resilience of Iowa's land tenure arrangements and policy.

Working group resources

  • *NEW! Landowners Helping New Farmers - This brochure provides an overview of state programs designed to help a landowner rent to a new farmer.
  • *NEW! Rotational Grazing on Leased Land - This brochure discusses what factors should be considered when setting up a lease for land that will be rotationally grazed.
  • Iowa's Duty of Land Stewardship - This brochure provides a brief history of the strong legal foundation in Iowa for the duty of stewardship, as well as additional details on Iowa’s soil conservation law, conservation incentive programs, and federal conservation compliance laws.
  • Land Contracts for Beginning Farmers - This brochure offers an introduction to land contracts, which have been used in recent years by beginning farmers, and outlines their advantages and risks.
  • NRCS EQIP High Tunnels - This brochure provides an overview of the Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
  • The Landowner's Guide to Sustainable Farm Leasing - This publication is meant to assist farmers and landowners in understanding laws, regulations and lease provisions and developing a sustainable farm lease.
  • Non-operator Land Ownership and Conservation - April 2011 presentation to the working group about critical issues in land ownership. Results of a recent landowner survey in two Iowa watersheds also are presented.
  • *NEW! Videos about conservation, produced by Drake Agricultural Law Center

Related grant projects

Our partners

  • Agren, Inc.
  • American Farmland Trust
  • Drake University Agricultural Law Center
  • Hertz Farm Management
  • Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
  • Iowa Soil and Water Conservation Districts
  • Iowa State University, Beginning Farmer Center
  • Iowa State University, Department of Sociology
  • National Center for Appropriate Technology
  • Practical Farmers of Iowa
  • Women, Food and Agriculture Network
  • U.S. Farm Lease
  • USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • USDA, Farm Service Agency

Links we like

  • Farmland Ownership and Tenure in Iowa 2007 - This Iowa State University study, conducted by Mike Duffy, focuses on forms of ownership and tenancy of Iowa farmland. It reveals important trends, such as the increasing age of Iowa farmland owners, the proliferation of cash rent leases, and the continuing shift away from ownership by full-time Iowa residents.
  • Conservation Connect - This website is designed for people who own agricultural land in the United States, but do not live on or operate that land. It provides information on natural resource conservation and programs that support conservation.
  • Women Caring for the Land - This program, administered by Women, Food, and Agriculture Network (WFAN) provides peer-to-peer meetings in which women non-operator landowners participate in learning circles to share experiences and information and gain access to conservation resources. A corresponding manual is available to assist agencies, non-profits, and community groups improve conservation outreach to female non-operator landowners.
  • PFI Next Generation - Practical Farmers of Iowa have a number of resources available to assist beginning farmers as Iowa's farmland inevitably transitions to a new generation. These resources include a Savings Incentive Program, online Farminars, a retreat for beginning farmers, an online landline program for beginning farmers and landowners, and Youth mini-grants for those 18 and younger.

For information about this group, contact Ed Cox, Agricultural Law Center Fellow at Drake University, (515) 271-2205, edward.cox@drake.edu