Page County tables decision on county farm lease after lessee recommends five-year term

The Page County Board of Supervisors tabled a decision on the county-owned farm lease after hearing from the current lessee, who recommended moving to a five-year lease and described agronomic and management reasons for the change.

The lessee (identified in the transcript as the farm renter) told the board the current three-year lease does not align with the agronomic needs of the property, noting that agricultural lime applications typically have a four- to five-year residual effect. He said a five-year term would better match lime schedules and long-term maintenance, and would reduce the need to rebid frequently. He suggested using Iowa State Extension's Ag Decision Maker cash-rent survey as a third-party method to set cash rent and said his prior bid equated to about $316 per acre for the county's high-third cropland classification.

The lessee described on-the-ground work completed this winter: tree and brush clearing on terraces and fence-line areas, cover-crop trials and annual pelleted lime (product called PELIGN) applications he uses for maintenance. He raised potential fence repairs and recommended exploring NRCS and Soil & Water cost-share programs to help fund fencing and land-improvement work.

Board members asked questions about fence condition, whether lime applications could be combined for multiple county fields, and potential timelines. The lessee noted county notice deadlines: "September first is the serve notice of the farm lease ground in Iowa," and said the board would not need to act immediately. The chair suggested tabling the item to gather more information; the board agreed to table the lease decision for further review.