Download your Minnesota lease template
Choose the lease that matches how you split the risk. One email unlocks every template.
Minnesota Lease Bundle
Every template in one download: cash rent, crop-share, pasture, livestock rental, farm building and machinery leases.
Unlock bundleDownload bundleCash Rent Lease
Fixed cash rent farm lease (NCFMEC-01A) from the North Central Farm Management Extension Committee.
DownloadCrop-Share Lease
Crop-share farm lease (NCFMEC-02A) for splitting the crop, input costs and risk.
DownloadPasture Lease
Pasture lease (NCFMEC-03A): acreage, term, stocking rate, fencing and water.
DownloadEnding or changing a lease? Minnesota: no farm-specific deadline. Most leases set their own, often Sept 1 notice for a lease ending the following spring. See how to give notice →
How Minnesota farm leases work
When a Minnesota lease can end, how much notice it takes and what to put in writing.
How to end a Minnesota farm lease
Minnesota has no statute setting a general farm lease deadline. For a tenancy at will, Minn. Stat. § 504B.135 requires written notice at least as long as the rent interval or three months, whichever is less.
| Situation | Notice rule |
|---|---|
| Tenancy at will | Written notice: rent interval or 3 months, whichever is less |
| Written lease with an end date and notice clause | Follow the lease |
| Farm of 40+ acres after a life tenant dies | Continues to the earliest of March 1, harvest or lease end (§ 500.25) |
Because the statutory notice can be as short as the rent interval, many Minnesota leases add a renewal clause requiring notice by Sept 1. Put the deadline and delivery method in writing. Compare every state in Oaken's farm lease termination guide.
Put the new terms in writing
Start the next lease from a Minnesota template with clear end dates and notice terms.
Get the Minnesota templatesPick the right Minnesota lease type
Setting the rent? The 2026 median non-irrigated cropland rent across 81 of 87 published Minnesota counties is $189 per acre. Compare yours on the Minnesota cash rent by county map or read the 2026 rent negotiation guide.
Oral vs. written leases in Minnesota
Under Minnesota's statute of frauds, a lease longer than one year generally must be in writing. Oral leases default to the short at-will notice rule.
Our advice: a lease that has rolled over for years on a handshake leaves no record of the rent, input splits or notice terms. Write it down, even for a one-year deal. Get the templates →
What to put in writing
- Names, legal description and FSA acres
- Start date, end date and how renewal works
- Rent, due dates and any flex formula
- Notice deadline and how notice is delivered
- Carry-over fertilizer and lime reimbursement
- Conservation practices, tile and drainage
- Drainage tile, ditch assessments and buffer strips
- Sept 1 notice and renewal clause
- Hunting, wind and solar rights
Free lease rate calculators
Run the numbers before you fill in your Minnesota lease. County data built in.
A template covers one lease. Oaken runs all of them.
Once the leases are signed, the real work starts: rent due dates, flex bonuses, notice deadlines and landowner statements. Oaken tracks every one across every farm and all 87 Minnesota counties.
A quick call with our team. No obligation.
| Binder & spreadsheet | With Oaken |
|---|---|
| Deadlines tracked by memory | Automated lease and payment tracking |
| Flex and crop-share formulas that break | Variable rent calculated and reconciled |
| Landowners call for updates | Landowner portal |
| One person holds the file | Multi-user access, office or field |
| Risky hand-off to new staff | White-glove onboarding |
Minnesota farm lease questions
What is the deadline to terminate a farm lease in Minnesota?
Minnesota has no farm-specific statutory deadline. For a tenancy at will, Minn. Stat. § 504B.135 requires written notice at least as long as the interval between rent payments or three months, whichever is less. Written leases usually set their own notice date, often September 1.
What happens to a Minnesota farm lease when a life tenant dies?
Under Minn. Stat. § 500.25, a farm tenancy on 40 or more tillable acres continues after the life tenant's death until the earliest of the following March 1, completion of harvest, or the lease's end, with a different window for deaths between November 1 and March 1.
Does a Minnesota farm lease need to be in writing?
A lease longer than one year generally must be in writing to be enforceable under Minnesota's statute of frauds. A written lease also lets you set a longer notice period than the at-will default.
What is the average farmland cash rent in Minnesota in 2026?
Across the 81 of 87 Minnesota counties with published 2026 USDA NASS cash rent data, the median county rent for non-irrigated cropland is $189 per acre. Oaken's Minnesota cash rent map shows every published county, its rank and its change from 2025.
How does Oaken help manage Minnesota farmland leases?
Oaken keeps every Minnesota lease, landowner and payment in one place. It tracks rent due dates and each lease's notice deadline, calculates flex and crop-share payments, and gives landowners a portal for statements, so nothing depends on a binder or one person's memory.