MSU Extension Releases Updated Information On Cattle Grazing Leases

Montana State University Extension specialists have released updated information on cattle grazing leases.

 

The new four-page MontGuide, Grazing Leases, defines a grazing lease, helps readers estimate grazing lease rates, examines the basis for expressing lease rates, such as per acre, whole tract, per head and share of gain, and discusses the terms of a grazing lease. 

 

Grazing Leases was updated by Kate Binzen Fuller, assistant professor/Extension specialist in the MSU Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics, and Jeff Mosley, professor/Extension range management specialist in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences.

 

"Whether you are a landlord or land tenant, putting together a thoughtful lease and negotiating rates, lease structure and responsibilities can be a daunting task," said Fuller. "The Grazing Leases MontGuide addresses key items to include in a written lease, tools and strategies for calculating and negotiating rates and additional resources to help get you started. There is also a Beef Cattle Share MontGuide that introduces the concept of an equitable lease arrangement and applies it to cattle. It includes worksheets and explanations to help a livestock owner and operator calculate equitable percentages to split revenue."

 

Both MontGuides can be found on the http://msuextension.org/aglease/ website, along with other tools and guides on the topic of agricultural leasing.

 

The Grazing Leases MontGuide is a modified and updated version of Montana State University Extension Bulletin 120, Pasture Leases and Beef Cattle Share Arrangements, by Kent Williams, John Lacey, Dave Phillips and John Ranney.

 

Video: Episode 115: Home on the Range

We look at how high crop prices, driven in part by rising global food demand, biofuel incentives, and risk perspective and management, are encouraging the conversion of marginal grasslands into cultivated cropland. As more hay and pastureland is turned over to crop production, wildlife habitat becomes increasingly fragmented, leaving isolated “islands” of grass that may be too small to sustain functioning grassland ecosystems. We explore research using Alberta as a case study to understand the impact that conversion of hay and pasturelands into cropland could have on ecosystem intactness and biodiversity.