Study shows move toward shared risk in farm leases

The proportion of Iowa farmland operated by the owner has stabilized at about 37 percent, according to the most recent farmland ownership and tenure survey conducted by Iowa State University (ISU).

What has changed, however, is the popularity of different types of farm leases. From 2007 to 2012, traditional crop-share leases stayed steady at 12 percent of total farmland, but flexible cash leases increased from 5 percent to 8 percent while fixed cash leases fell from 37 percent to 34 percent.