ABSTRACT
Land leasing plays a vital role in United States (US) agriculture. Although leasing has always been an important part of US agriculture, attitudes toward leasing have changed over time. According to the 1988 Agricultural Economics and Land Ownership Survey, a follow-on survey to the 1987 Census of Agriculture, excluding public owners, there are 2.95 million owners of agricultural land in the United States. Although agricultural leasing is an important phenomenon nationally, it varies significantly by region. Most agricultural landlords are not actively engaged in farming—only 8 percent list their primary occupation as operating a ranch or farm. Landlord disengagement from farming may also have long-term implications for the productivity of land. Share leases account for 30 percent of all leases and all acres leased. Cash/share leases involve some combination of cash and share leases. Although most leases are for cash in all nine geographic areas of the United States, the proportions of cash and share leases vary widely by region.
