A Farmer Violated Land Rent Agreement

[wonderinglandowner]

My question involves real estate located in the State of: Wisconsin My question is we rent 35 acres to a farmer for pasture land only and there was a very repeated verbal agreement no roundup or killer sprayed, no crops. This is our 2nd year renting to him at $20 an acre. We happened to go to the land and found he is growing oats, corn and soybeans on it. I was and am furious. We also found out he put fertilizer on the land this spring which ruins it for organic land. He was told many times and he was even told do not put money into land because we may want to sell it at anytime. Our understanding of a year rental was Jan-Dec but when I told him he had only paid through June and this was July 27, and he violated the agreement and he was done on the land as of the end of June and he combined his oats on the 28th. He then said that a farmers year is June - Dec thinking if he only gets half a year he has half a year yet to come, but the crops were put in in April. I don't know where to go with this. He said the hay he bailed off our land was his and he has a right to that. I want to charge him the going rate for land rental of about $100 and acre but he is only willing to pay for the acreage he has actually planted on. Plus he put in to the USDA for some money they pay out for land usage which is between $400-$800 I am not sure he said he would split that with us and I don't know if $400 was our share or the total. We have only charged him $700 a year for the pasture land because I did not want the land touched, ok for cows but that was all. Can you please help me and tell me what I can or may do?

[Mr. Knowitall]

You have a written lease that includes the restrictions? If so, evict him and, if you can prove damages, sue him for the damages.

If not, terminate his tenancy when his lease term or, if there's no lease, the current rental period ends. With nothing in writing it's harder to make any other claims; run the issue past a local lawyer.