Varley & Kearns Law Offices, PLC
Warren A. Varley • Karen K. Varley • Mitchell P. Kearns
201 NE Second Street; P. O. Box 235
Stuart, Iowa 50250-0235
(515) 523-2456
FAX 866-297-7985
August 2026
Greetings:
Now is the time dictated by Iowa law to begin negotiating crop land leases for 2027 or at least notify your tenant/landlord, as the case may be, if you wish to change any of the terms in your current lease. (Remember that mutual consent is required if you want to make changes in the middle of a multi-year lease.)
If you wish to terminate a cropland or forage lease ending March 1, 2027, and have not already done so, you must serve notice in the manner set out in Iowa Code §562.7 on or before September 1, 2026. This statute does not apply to custom farming arrangements, but by tradition, many farm operators have come to expect notice by September 1.
Basing cropland rent on the current CSR21 of the soil in question is the most accurate and fair way to arrive at a comparable rent2. Below is a table of farmland values and cash rents in counties for which we prepare farmland leases:
The price of farmland has remained remarkably stable, averaging around $172 per CSR2 point.3 However, ever-increasing prices for farm inputs and comparatively stagnant grain prices continue to put pressure on farm rental rates.4
Please contact our office if we can be of assistance. Good luck with your negotiations!
Sincerely,
VARLEY & KEARNS LAW OFFICE, PLC
1Updated “corn suitability rating” assessment. You can calculate a CSR2 for your farm https://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx or get it from your assessor information https://www.iowaassessors.com/
2See Computing a Crop Land Cash Rental Rate: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/pdf/c2-20.pdf
3https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6a0e046898519b5b3e182e0c/t/6a70d7f8453c4a4358dba594/1785780216470/July+2026+Land+Talk+Monthly.pdf
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