Farm incubator programs are sprouting up around the country as an innovative way to support beginning farmers. These programs typically involve leasing farmland to farmers in the incubator program, which means that multiple farmers will be leasing the same land. This can stir up some legal issues not found in an ordinary farm leasing situation. The same goes for subletting- farmers sometimes find they want to take a year off or use excess space, facilities, and resources to support other producers. Subletting can be a great solution.
If this is your situation, we have a great resource for you! Our Incubator Farm Lease Toolbox (47pgs.) provides you with legal tools to build a strong incubator farm program. It includes a checklist of questions to ask when drafting an incubator farm lease, a model lease, as well as guidance for creating equipment and animal husbandry manuals. The same needs apply to subletting- the questions, model, and equipment/husbandry manuals are important elements to ensure the land-owning farmer and subletting farmer are on the same page.
With these resources, you’ll make sure problems are prevented, saving your farm business and your relationships in the process.
