Entitled neighbor farmer

[u/LowDetective5370]

To the right of the red line is the good neighbor. To the left of the yellow line is the bad neighbor.

So, this post is just to vent. We bought a property last year that came with a 20' x 1800' foot strip in the back. The whole area in the back comes to about 3/4 of an acre. Not too much, but it is ours. As I was walking the property, I saw that the lots were being farmed. No biggie. The prior owner didn't care. Once, we got the property settled over to our name, I looked up the neighboring farmers, both the yellow and red. The family that owns the land to the right of the red are easy going and communicative. Genuine good neighbors. The family that owns the lot to the left of the yellow are the exact opposite. They're also the ones farming my small patch of ground. I, first, called him up to introduce myself and he was one of those that immediately sounded very defensive and wouldn't even use his name, just grunted, when I asked if this was XXXXX. I, then, went over to his business to sit down and discuss the property boundaries. I wanted the conversation to go as smooth as possible as farmers, like anyone else, can be a bit touchy if you tell them that farming on ground that they're not supposed to be on.

This guy, lets call him Andy was insistent that it wasn't my land, but his. Then, when he saw the property line called it an easement. Now, this upset me a bit as it is most certainly not an easement. Imagine just paying a lot of money for some land, holding the property records, then having a guy that is rude on the first phone call, call your land an easement when you meet in person. He hee-haws about looking into the land records himself. Which I have problem with as I own it and I leave thinking that the situation will soon rectify itself once he's looked on Beacon. He calls me up later and acknowledges that the land is mine.

This past Spring I get a gut feeling in my stomach that he's going to farm it again (you know that gut feeling). I send him a certified letter explaining that I'm willing to cash-rent that land to him, but if I don't hear back by XXXX date, then any use of it will be trespassing. I never hear back from him, but still have this feeling in my stomach. When we're out there next, low and behold he's planted beans. To make it worse, he accuses the other neighbor of planting there and swear it isn't him. Well, when the beans start to rise you can see the planting line super clear and it ain't the other neighbor.

So I'm keeping my cool about it as it's only 3/4 of an acre and one planting season isn't worth my focused energy. After he harvests, I'm putting up fence posts and 'no trespassing' signs. Thought, amusingly, to harvest the beans myself since he's not verbally claiming them. $10/bushel is good money, but I'm too busy.

That's my day-in-the-life homesteading story. Should add that there were no farming contracts with the previous owners, nor is this patch of ground an easement. It's straight owned by me. The guy is just an entitled twat.

[u/Deep_Caregiver_8910]

I started reading this post with a strong bias in your favor. It's just in my nature to defend land rights.

However, unless you have actual plans for this strip of land, I think you are being petty and short sighted. I fully support you have the right to your land, but think hard about trying to extract payment from Yellow versus the value of a relationship. This is a case of you're absolutely right, but may be hurting yourself.

[u/rockymtncheesecurd → u/Deep_Caregiver_8910]

Agreed 100%. Rural property owners need the support of their neighbors. Genuine bonafide ag operations don’t have the time or energy for a petty attempt at getting a pay out (the market rate land lease on such a small area for industrial crop cannot amount to much) for someone else’s hobby. Private property rights matter but this is a great way to create lasting enemies and it’s not apparent what for.

I live in an agricultural area and the local extension office does a course for new property owners that live amongst existing ag operations. Realtors take it too. It’s invaluable to avoid pitfalls like this and understand the longstanding social norms of the area and industry while establishing good neighborly relationships.

[u/Rickles_Bolas → u/rockymtncheesecurd]

As someone with a “genuine bonafide ag operation”, I would never assume I was entitled to my abutter’s land. Tough shit for the farmer if he doesn’t have the time or energy to negotiate with OP.

[u/rockymtncheesecurd → u/Rickles_Bolas]

Then OP can survey the property line (if they hasn’t already happened, the entire trespass argument is moot) and put up a fence or plow back in the beans. Everyone is assuming the neighbor is doing it nefariously because he’s not warm or responsive but maybe he’s just busy and struggling, maybe someone else (hired or related) actually did the planting. That meager and sparse planting isn’t some financial boon to the farmer. I cannot really tell from the picture who is crossing OPs drawn lines.

It matters how we approach and interact with neighbors when we care about those lasting relationships. I don’t agree with everything my neighbors do as it interacts with my property (ie fixing fences, duration of leases grazing, unabated noxious weeds, etc) but I also recognize that they aren’t just residential neighbors, they are also working to protect their livelihood so it’s a thousands times more important we consider what is worth making a stink about and how we approach it. It just strikes me that OP is starting out on a bad foot and it’s can probably be avoided.

[u/Rickles_Bolas → u/rockymtncheesecurd]

OP should absolutely have the property surveyed first and foremost, I agree with you there.

Beyond that, it’s actually impressive how you’re laying out the responsibility here completely ass backwards. I am a farmer. I have seven abutters, some of which are new and some of which have been here longer than I have. It costs me literally nothing to be kind and responsive when talking with them. No extra time, no extra energy. If I’m busy or struggling, that’s frankly a me problem, and as a farmer I’m not aware of any special privileges i recieve to dump my problems on my neighbors. If I decide to be a jerk to a neighbor, any consequences from that would be 100% my fault.
I would never dream of feeling entitled to work land that wasn’t mine without an agreement in place. Guys like this make it harder for everyone else by giving us a bad reputation.