A farmer's trust: RENTING LAND WITHOUT A WRITTEN CONTRACT

摘要

LIKE MANY TRADITIONAL farmers, Ian Greydanus still does business on trust and a handshake; but his trust extends a bit farther than most. The Northumberland County cash cropper farms 3,400 acres between Cobourg and Brighton through a series of land use agreements he has established with approximately 50 landowners, only four of which involve written contracts. On average, each field is 22 acres; but he does farm one 100 acre field. The smallest piece of land he rents from a single owner is eight acres. "I won't drive any type of distance for just that small of a parcel, it has to fit in when we are there," says Greydanus. "But sometimes you go get one small piece and one leads to another one. You're across the road and the neighbour says 'did you want this piece too?', and that's kind of how it happens to get that many small pieces."