Charles Hurburgh is following in his late father’s footsteps by leasing his family’s land to a young farm family. Hurburgh’s family has owned 1,100 acres of farmland in Calhoun County since 1869.

However, Hurburgh, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, said his situation is unique because most land owners rent out their land. This cash renting, he said, is making it nearly impossible for young farmers, like recent ISU graduates, to be able to farm.

“The cash rent strangles out young families. They have to come up with all the money for rent at the beginning of the year. One hundred and eighty dollars an acre times 1,100 acres is a lot of money,” he said.

Kyle Mowrer, freshman in agricultural business, cash rents 60 acres of cropland and pasture near Guthrie Center and said he agrees with Hurburgh.

“To start cash renting [a lot of land] out of the blue, you’d be so far in debt it wouldn’t be funny,” Mowrer said.

He said cash renting such a small amount of land is not difficult right now. “I won’t consider doing any more until I actually go home to farm [after graduation],” Mowrer said.

However, if a young farmer starts off with a few acres and begins a relationship with a local banker, it makes it easier to borrow a larger amount of money to cash rent down the road, he said.

Unlike most farmers who cash rent their farm property, Hurburgh said he wanted to offer an opportunity to young farmers such as Mowrer who are starting out.

Hurburgh’s father made the decision to grant the opportunity through a 50-50 share lease that Hurbugh still uses.

Fifty-fifty share leasing involves sharing the costs of an operation, such as pesticides, seed and other inputs, he said. “My dad operated that way,” he said. “It provides a start for a family.”

Recent studies have shown a decrease in the number of young people returning to the farm and farming communities.

“The cemeteries are growing faster than the towns,” he said. “That’s not healthy for the community or the business.”

Hurburgh said the further each generation gets away from owning the land, the easier it will be for descendants to buy and sell the land as an investment.

“People who have to make their living off the land have a hard time competing with investors,” said Paul Lasley, professor and chairman of sociology.

Lasley said the land rental rates are increasing, and it makes sense to rent a larger number of acres so the cost of equipment can be spread out over those acres.

Farmland is sometimes purchased for investment purposes as an alternative to the stock market because of the increasing land values in Iowa.