What to know in Spokane County
Spokane County farms reported about 391,800 acres of cropland in the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The top crops by acreage were wheat (156,625 acres), hay (62,045), canola (22,059) and lentils (20,585).
Cash rent and crop share are the two common lease structures. Cash rent is simpler for an absentee owner; crop share splits both the risk and the upside. Either way, write down who pays for seed, fertilizer and crop insurance, how USDA program payments are handled, the term, and the notice needed to end the lease. Ag Lease 101 publishes sample cash-rent and crop-share leases.
WSU Spokane County Extension runs farm-management programs and the Spokane Conservation District offers soil and conservation planning help. USDA NASS county cash-rent averages give both sides a starting number, and leased farmland can keep Washington’s farm and agricultural current-use classification (Chapter 84.34 RCW) while it stays in commercial agriculture.
What to put in your inquiry
- Tillable acres you want
- Crops and rotation
- Term and starting crop year
- Cash rent per acre or crop-share split
- Who pays inputs and how program payments are split
In the app, the Farm lease template fills these in as [bracketed] prompts. Replace them with your details and send.