Legal-Ease: Should my farm lease be in writing?

Crop yields in recent years have made farmland leases a necessity for a responsible farmer. While these leases should be in writing, some states (including Ohio) accept verbal leases.

When a lease isn’t in writing and on record at the county courthouse, people other than the tenant and landlord may not be required to honor the lease.

There is also an Ohio law that requires any farmland leases longer than three years to be notarized and recorded at the county courthouse.