The conservation practices, leasing considerations and sample lease provisions below are not exhaustive but rather provide an overview of how farmers and landowners can use a lease to encourage these practices. Lease terms should be simple and document the parties’ points of agreement on issues such as how a practice will be installed, utilized, and maintained. Farmers and landowners should change the lease provision to fit each individual situation. For more information, view our full Agricultural Conservation Leasing Guide.
Conservation Practices
Conservation Tillage
Manages the components of crop and other plant residue on the soil surface. Limiting soil-disturbing activities, like tilling, increases organic matter, allowing the soil to hold more moisture, maintain better microbial life, and provide more nutrients to crops
Rotational Grazing
involves grazing a portion of pasture while the remainder is allowed to “rest.” To use rotational grazing, pastures need to be divided into two or more paddocks with fencing to retain livestock in an intended area
Integrated Pest Management
Conservation technique used to reduce wide-scale pesticide application. IPM involves using field scouting to evaluate the impact of insects, weeds, and diseases on crops.
Crop Rotation
A method of planting different types of crops, such as grains and legumes in sequential seasons in the same field. When the correct crop combinations are used for the right soil types, crop rotation maintains soil productivity and may require fewer fertilizer or pesticide inputs in the future.
Contour Farming
Tilling and planting a crop in a way that orients the rows parallel to the contour of the slope and perpendicular to the flow of water, on or near the contour of a field, taking advantage of its natural shape to reduce erosion and hold onto water.