Keeping Organic Acres Organic: Leases, Records, and Farm Transitions with Glennis McClure and Carla McCullough Dittman

Organic land represents years of investment in soil health, certification records, and the markets that reward that work. When that land changes hands, protecting that investment requires the right lease language, the right records and conversations that start well before anyone signs. This episode features Glennis McClure, farm and ranch management analyst at the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Carla McCullough Dittman, a Lancaster County landowner and advisor to the Nebraska Organic Program and the Transition to Organic Partnership Program. They walk through what it takes to keep certified organic acres organic through a land transition, from working with certifiers and documenting production history to writing lease terms that spell out compliance responsibilities and protect both parties. They also discuss what retiring organic farmers should be doing now to find the right successor and keep their land in organic production for the long term.Read more: https://cap.unl.edu/news/lease-considerations-and-communications-when-transitioning-organic-production/