Montana Agricultural Land Leasing
Looking to get started with a new lease or re-negotiating one that has expired? Published lease rate statistics, calculation tools, and guides are listed below to help.
Lease Rates
- NASS Montana Statewide Per-Acre Lease Rates
- NASS Montana County Per-Acre Lease Rates
- NASS Montana Average Grazing Rates
- Pasture Lease Rate Calculator (and MontGuide)
- Cropland Lease Rate Calculator (concepts similar to above)
- NASS AUM Grazing Averages in Western States
- AMS Grazing Fee Report for WY, NE, SD
Resources
- AgLease101.org: General Information, sample leases, and guidelines
- Agricultural Land Values: Link to the latest report published by USDA
- FairRent: An evaluation tool for crop share and cash leases
- Farm Link Montana: Land Link: Land listings in Montana
- Indian Land Tenure Foundation: Resource for understanding American Indian land law
- Land for Good Landowner Toolkit: Resources for non-farming landowners
- Montana Hay Hotline: Hay and pasture listings across Montana
- Montana Cadastral: Public and private land ownership info, including values, productivity, land use and type.
- Negotiation in Ag: Guides and other resources for building negotiation skills (currently in development with a group of western extension professionals)
- NRCS Soil Surveys: Helpful in determining the productive capacity of the land. (How-to video from SDSU Extension here.)
- Rangeland Analysis Platform: Estimate productivity and stocking rates on rangelands.
- USDA Real Estate Values and Land Rental Rate Comparison
Guides
- What is the Farm Service Agency (FSA)? MSU Extension MontGuide, New June 2022
- Animal Unit Month (AUM) Lease Rates: MSU Extension MontGuide, January 2021
- The Contributions Approach to Pasture Leasing: MSU Extension MontGuide, August 2019
- Beef Cattle Share Leases: MSU Extension MontGuide, Current as of July 2022
- Grazing Leases: MSU Extension MontGuide, Current as of July 2022
- Cash Rent vs. Mortgage Payments: University of Wyoming RightRisk Article
Presentations
Montana Agricultural Leasing by Terry Schaplow, Agricultural Law Instructor for Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics:
- Part 1: Overview (3 minutes)
- Part 2: Legal Requirements for a Lease (13 minutes)
- Part 3: Notable Montana Cases (24 minutes)
- Part 4: Types of Agricultural Leases (11 minutes)