Start with the written record
Collect the documents that describe the existing arrangement. Keep originals intact; this page is only a working checklist.
- Current written lease and any amendments, renewals, or handwritten notes
- Prior lease versions, rent-payment records, and relevant correspondence
- Property-tax, insurance, drainage, improvement, and repair records that may relate to the arrangement
- A list of questions you want a qualified local professional to review
Describe the parcel without guessing
Use references already in your file. If a fact is missing, mark it as a question rather than filling in a number from memory.
County and parcel or tract reference:
Approximate acres and productive-acre reference, if documented:
Known fields, access points, drainage, improvements, or conservation commitments:
Current written lease term and payment timing, if stated:
Prepare fair questions
This is a fact-finding list, not a calculation. Public averages and previous payments do not determine an appropriate arrangement for a particular parcel.
What does the current written arrangement say each party is responsible for?
Which facts should we confirm with the tenant or operator?
Which questions should go to an attorney, CPA, appraiser, or farm-management professional?
What information is still missing before our family discusses any lease change?
Plan the next conversation
- Choose one family contact to gather information and one shared place to keep notes.
- Read the current agreement before making promises or characterizing a payment as fair or unfair.
- Set a respectful conversation focused on understanding the existing arrangement and the facts.
- Write down open questions and take them to the appropriate local professional before taking legal action or changing a lease.