Costs may be higher due to the amount of tillage, nutrients, pesticides, labor, and management involved in farming the land the first few seasons. Both parties may want to discuss this situation and decide how to deal with it equitably. They should decide whether and how to share the higher production-cost risk and describe the arrangement in a lease. Timing Planning and preparation may be required in the fall before the landowner returns CRP land to agricultural use. The tenant who will operate the land during the first growing season may want to be involved in this phase.
Timing becomes critical.
Optionally, a landowner might hire a custom operator to complete the preparations at the landowner's expense. A lease agreement can help an owner anticipate and accommodate CRP land use issues. Ultimately, though, good communication between the land-owner and the tenant is the key to a smooth, mutually beneficial rental relationship.