ARCHER CITY – A Rancher Leasing Workshop covering grazing, hunting and livestock leases will be presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service April 19 in Archer City.

The workshop is one in a series addressing legal risks associated with agricultural leases, said Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist in Amarillo. The goal is to educate landowners and producers on the importance of utilizing written leases as a risk-management tool.

The workshop will be from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the Archer City Activities Building/Extension Office, 512 W. Cottonwood St. The free program is funded by the Southern Extension Risk Management Education Center.

Lunch will be provided by Ag Workers Insurance. Participants need to RSVP by April 13 to Lashmet at tdowell@tamu.edu or 806-677-5668.

Joining Lashmet on the program will be Jason Johnson, AgriLife Extension economist in Stephenville.

“Leasing agricultural land for grazing, farming, or hunting is extremely common and important here in Texas,” Lashmet said. “This program is designed to offer practical information to landowners and tenants about everything from setting lease rates, to legal issues to keep in mind, to landowner liability.”

Participants will receive a leasing handbook that covers legal issues, designing lease payment structures and calculating payments, and landowner liability. The book also will provide checklists and sample lease forms for negotiating lease agreements.

“We’ve had wonderful responses to these programs around the state,” Lashmet said. “So far, we have held seven workshops and had over 350 participants. Every one of those people said they would recommend this program to a friend.”

Source: Texas A&M AgriLife