The Oaken library
Free farm lease guides, ebooks and case studies
Plain-English checklists for loan renewals, tax time, rent talks and landowner relationships, plus a guide to organizing every lease. Plus real stories from farms, farm managers and landowners who moved their farmland leases off paper and spreadsheets.
Free PDF downloadsWritten for farmers and landownersNo software needed
This seasonWhich best describes you?
Free guides and checklists
Free farm lease guides for every season of the lease
Each guide is a free PDF with checklists you can print, fill in and bring to your lender, tax preparer or landowner.
The Banker-Ready Land Report: walk into your loan renewal with every rented acre accounted for
- 30-day loan renewal checklist
- Lease register and rent reconciliation
- One-page land summary for your lender
Best before: your operating loan renewal
Get the free checklist →
Tax-Time Ready: hand your tax preparer one tidy lease folder, not a shoebox
- Which form your farm rent usually goes on
- 1099 rent rules and flex-lease math, explained simply
- Print-and-pin lease folder checklist
Best before: the Jan 31 and Mar 1 filing dates
Get the free guide →
The Preferred Operator: be the operator your landowners never want to replace
- 9 ways to win, keep and grow landowner relationships
- Landowner family tree mapping
- Yearly landowner report ideas
Best before: year-end landowner visits
Get the free ebook →
Negotiating Farmland Rent the Smart Way: negotiate farmland rent with data, not gut feel
- Rent negotiation tips for both sides of the table
- Written farm lease checklist
- Calculator walkthroughs with county cash rent data
Best before: your next lease renewal talk
Get the free guide →
Field Time, Not File Time: spend less time on lease paperwork and more time in the field
- Know every landowner, lease and rent payment in one record
- Prepare once for taxes, the bank and FSA reporting
- A practical 90-day plan to a repeatable system
Best before: any time of year, ideally 90 days ahead of tax, bank or FSA season
Get the free ebook →Case studies and ebooks
How farms like yours run their leases
Case studies and ebooks on lease management, landowner relationships and farmland records.
EbookFree 12-chapter guide · New
Field Time, Not File Time
Spend less time on lease paperwork and more time in the field: one record for every landowner, lease and rent payment, plus a 90-day plan.
Get the free ebook →
EbookFree 21-page checklist
The Banker-Ready Land Report
Walk into your loan renewal with every rented acre accounted for: a 30-day checklist, lease register and one-page land summary for your lender.
Get the free checklist →
EbookFree 16-page guide
Tax-Time Ready
Hand your tax preparer one tidy lease folder, not a shoebox: where farm rent goes, 1099 rent rules and flex-lease math, explained simply.
Get the free guide →
EbookFree 22-page ebook
The Preferred Operator
Be the operator your landowners never want to replace: 9 ways to win, keep and grow landowner relationships.
Get the free ebook →
EbookFree 25-page guide
Negotiating Farmland Rent the Smart Way
Negotiate farmland rent with data, not gut feel: tips for both sides of the table, a written lease checklist and county cash rent data.
Get the free guide →
Case studyCase study · Mar 2026
Tom Farms: Scaling Landowner Relations with AgTech
Discover how Tom Farms, a leader in modern agriculture, partnered with Oaken to digitize lease management, improve landowner transparency, and scale operations.
Read the case study →
Case studyCase study · Mar 2026
Achieving Operational Excellence in Farmland Investment: The Momentis Case Study
Case study on improving operational efficiency for family office farmland investments using Oaken.
Read the case study →
Case studyCase study · Dec 2025
Star Rock Farms: A Success Story in Digital Transformation
Learn how fourth-generation farmer Ellie Barley of Star Rock Farms used Oaken to digitize their legacy paper systems, allowing the operation to scale acreage and streamline landowner communications without increasing administrative overhead.
Read the case study →
Case studyCase study · Jul 2024
Case Study: How Hopkins Farms (Illinois) Digitized Lease Management
How Hopkins Farms modernized its 3,500-acre operation with Oaken: centralized landowner data, automated renewals and a clear succession plan.
Read the case study →Nothing here yet. See the full library
Free farmland lease tools
Put the guides to work with free tools
FAQ
Questions about the guides
Are Oaken’s farm lease guides really free?
Yes. Every guide on this page is free to download. Enter your name and email on the guide’s page to get the PDF.
Which guide should I start with?
Pick by season. Before an operating loan renewal, start with the Banker-Ready Land Report. From January to mid-March, use Tax-Time Ready. Before rent talks, use Negotiating Farmland Rent the Smart Way. To organize every lease, landowner and payment in one system, read Field Time, Not File Time. If you manage many landowners, read The Preferred Operator.
Do I need Oaken software to use the checklists?
No. The checklists work on paper, in a spreadsheet or in any software. Oaken simply keeps the same lease, payment and landowner records in one place so they are ready when you need them.
Is Tax-Time Ready tax advice?
No. Tax-Time Ready is for educational purposes only and helps you organize land lease records. Talk with your tax preparer or CPA about your own situation.
Who are the case studies about?
Real farms, farm managers and farmland investors, including Hopkins Farms, Star Rock Farms, Tom Farms and Momentis, who moved lease records off paper and spreadsheets.
Want every lease ready before the banker asks?
- Every lease, payment and landowner in one place
- Clear payment updates for landowners
- Shared access for family and advisors