Navigating, Valuing, and Negotiating Land Leases
Katelyn Walley, Business Management Specialist and Team Leader
Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Program

As the cost of owning land rises, and farm profitability tightens, now's the time to evaluate the role that leased and rented land plays on our local farms - and our bottom lines.
Join Farm Business Management Specialist, Katelyn Walley-Stoll, to learn more about the considerations and resources that are available for evaluating and executing your land lease options. Topics of discussion include written lease agreements, determining "fair" rental rates, and communication strategies.
For any questions, concerns, or accommodation requests, please contact Katelyn Walley-Stoll at kaw249@cornell.edu or 716-640-0522.
Funding for this event and scholarship support is provided by a Farmland for a New Generation New York grant.
Presentation recording:
Supporting Resources of Interest:
Cornell Small Farms Sample Lease
Land For Good Build-a-Lease Tool
NY State Agricultural Mediation Program
Presentation slides can be viewed below.
Presentation Slides (pdf; 2475KB)
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2025 Cornell Food Beverage & Animal Feed Manufacturer Survey
December 19, 2025
Industry and Educational Advocates for New York State's Food, Beverage, and Animal Feed Manufacturing industries:
As you know, NYS has a diverse food and beverage manufacturing industry, in both the types of industries that exist and the wide distribution of firms by scale. Many manufacturing firms have strong backward linkages to agricultural production sectors in the state that support both farm-level and downstream food industry firms and consumers. In collaboration with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, a team from Cornell University's Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management has recently rolled out the 2025 New York State Food, Beverage, and Animal Feed Manufacturer Survey. The industry will benefit from an updated assessment of the industry that informs private and public investments and opportunities to support firm growth and improved profitability.
Cornell Organic Field Crops & Dairy Conference
March 6, 2026
Waterloo, NY
Farmers, researchers, educators, and agricultural service providers from across the Northeast are invited to the 2026 Cornell Organic Field Crops & Dairy Conference, held Friday, March 6, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Lux Hotel & Conference Center in Waterloo, N.Y.
Co-hosted by New York Soil Health and Cornell CALS, the annual conference brings together leaders in organic grain, dairy, and livestock systems to share practical tools, new research, and farmer-tested strategies to support resilient and profitable organic production.
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