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3. 2026 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference

Flex Leases and Crop Shares for Farm and Ranch Profitability

Jim Jansen and Anastasia Meyer

Summary

The "Flex Leases and Crop Shares for Farm and Ranch Profitability" extension outreach meetings addressed the communication and management skills necessary for operations to sustain the financial, human, and legal risks associated with owning or leasing agricultural land. The meetings focused on developing skills to analyze trends in cash rents, effective communication practices, and improving understanding of legal forces impacting leases. As part of the outreach in 2025, the meeting series was piloted as a fee-based workshop in five locations with 117 participants.

The educational objectives achieved by this program included: identifying and developing analysis skills to evaluate financial forces impacting their land assets, approaches for effective communication strategies to manage internal and external risk in lease negotiations, and strengthening legal expertise to successfully navigate complex rental arrangements involving risk and uncertainty. Outreach for this meeting series included in-person/hybrid meetings, each approximately three hours, to allow for adequate interaction between workshop attendees and the instructors. The target audience for this project includes beginning operators, small farms or ranches, and specialty crop/livestock producers throughout Nebraska.

In the evaluation presented to program participants, (N=117, n=79), 67.52% responded to a pre- and post-workshop survey to rate change in their understanding using a scale of 1 (low) to 4 (high). Program topics included with ratings: evaluating land values and rental rates-increase 0.88 (2.59 pre to 3.47 post), communication strategies for proper lease negotiations-increase 1.29 (2.35 pre to 3.64 post), and analyzing legal risks impacting agricultural leases and contracts-increase 1.12 (1.91 pre to 3.03 post).

Details

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