After renting fields to neighbor, landowner is forced to plow down neighbor's corn fields following his refusal to harvest them in time: ‘The rental agreement expired’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jul 6, 2026 5:00 PM EDT

When you refuse to honor a contract, don't expect the other party to be any different…

There is a reason many people resort to forming a contract about any type of agreement they make with other people. No matter how much we might want to trust certain people, we all learn in one way or another that people are unpredictable. If we only put our trust in them, without any guarantee that they will live up to their word, we are only going to get hurt in the end. It is much better to have a set, binding contract to back up any agreement with legal repercussions. As long as everyone lives up to their end of the deal, there is no reason for anyone to get hurt in the process.

So why is it that when people fail to live up to their end of the deal, they still expect the other party to respect the agreement?

If you didn't honor a contract, well, then the other party won't either. As soon as you go rogue, they have a whole legal document that allows them to act accordingly. And if you're even a little bit surprised to find that there are consequences to your actions, that is completely on you.

The neighbor below didn't honor his contract with a landowner who agreed to rent some of his field. There were three clear terms in the contract that the neighbor had to honor, and he failed to follow all three of them. When he failed to follow the most basic term, pay his rent for the field, the landowner had no choice but to take back ownership of the fields. Despite the acres of corn the neighbor planted on them, the landowner decided it was time for them to do so, especially since, according to the contract, the neighbor was supposed to harvest them already.

When the neighbor discovered that his refusal to honor the contract led to the demolition of his cornfields, it is safe to say he was not happy…

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  • 01

    No contract? Okay.

    I bought land and was planning on putting a house up on the back of the 80 acres.
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  • 02
    The driveway would approximate .4 miles. I knew I would have to get the driveway prepped long in advance and divided my parcel with the driveway on the highest section, fields on either side.
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  • 03
    Shortly thereafter, a neighbor, Sh for Brains (SFB) approached me to rent my fields. He had rented from the former owner and offered to pay me 60% of what he paid the former owner.
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  • 04
    Harvesting of corn field.
    via Getty Images

    Harvesting of corn field.

    Image is representative.

  • 05
    I declined. When I told him why, SFB offered to pay the same. Again, I declined.
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  • 06
    Every other property around me was earning $75 an acre, and he was only offering $50.
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  • 07
    We finally settled on $70...with three conditions: First, he couldn't plant on the area I had staked out to be my yard.
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  • 08
    Second, he couldn't plant on my driveway (which was easily identified as it was now sculpted with the hump in the middle and had 10 loads of gravel already delivered.) Third, he had to have his corn out before December 1 because I would need at least the adjacent field cleared for a new pole shed.
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  • 09
    He agreed. I put it in writing, and after grumbling, SFB signed. I lived in the cities at the time this was happening, so imagine my surprise to get a call from Dad two weeks later and learn SFB had plowed straight through my driveway and planted on it.
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  • 10
    Further, he PARKED all his equipment on the far side of my freshly seeded lawn!! He drove over the flags and twine indicating the yard.
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  • 11
    I was livid. My dad told me to relax and just put the driveway back in (most of the gravel would still be there).
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  • 12
    At that time, Dad also realized SFB had driven over a burn pile (old outhouse torn down, mostly burned) with his tractor, and two tires were now flat.
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  • 13
    He came to retrieve his equipment on probably the muddiest day of the month and knocked on my dad's door (he lived next to the parcel I purchased) to see why I plowed down his driveway and flattened his tires.
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  • 14
    Dad explained to him he shouldn't have planted corn in the driveway, and how could I possibly have flattened his tires when I hadn't been up since he parked there?
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  • 15
    That December, I still hadn't received my first half of rent money (first half prior to plant, second half at harvest).
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  • 16
    Corn was ripe and due for harvest, and I had two days to prep the field for my shed.
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  • 17
    I had loads of gravel arranged for December 2nd or 3rd, and there was corn where it was supposed to go.
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  • 18
    I drove to the renter's home, and only his wife answered. I explained that the corn was supposed to be harvested already and I hadn't received rent yet.
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  • 19
    She said she'd tell him. He never showed. December 2, gopher state one call staked out electric lines.
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  • 20
    Corn still there. December 3, gravel and materials are delivered to my property for the shed.
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  • 21
    Corn still there. December 4, morning of, guys arrive to build the shed but can't come down the driveway because the renter parked his massive combine at the road, completely blocking my driveway.
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  • 22
    They call to let me know they can't start. I tell them just drive over the cornfield on either side of the driveway.
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  • 23
    Farmer holding corn grains in his hands.
    via Getty Images

    Farmer holding corn grains in his hands.

    Subject is a model.

  • 24
    According to our contract, there wasn't supposed to be corn there, and the rental agreement expired.
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  • 25
    The shed was a standard 40x60. They had to bulldoze about 1/10th of an acre to level the gravel.
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  • 26
    Some time that afternoon, the renter came down screaming at me about his ruined fields. I explained he signed a contract requiring all corn be removed prior to December 1.
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  • 27
    He said he never signed a contract. I told him if he never signed a contract, and I didn't receive money for the rent, the corn was mine.
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  • 28
    I could do what I wanted with it. SFB was also a county commissioner, and SFB called upon a cop friend for a favor: get out to my property right now and put a stop to further construction damage.
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  • 29
    When cop showed up, he obviously heard only one side of the story. So, when I showed him the contract, explained SFB hadn't paid for it, showed the crop wasn't removed in time, and explained that he damaged my driveway and ki ed a bunch of my grass, I asked him what he'd do in my situation.
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  • 30
    "I have access to a combine. I can cut it down for you. If he pays you, I can give him the corn...less the cost of harvesting it.
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  • 31
    And rent for storing it. If he doesn't pay you, I'll cover the cost of the rent." By January the following year, the renter had paid the cop for the corn, and cop had paid me for the rent.
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  • 32
    He came to the cop with the money...and a receipt for payment...backdated to the preceding year (tax purposes).
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  • 33
    Cop said he wouldn't sign it unless the date was correct. SFB was furious but initialed the change.
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  • 34
    That very next year, SFB was booted out of his commissioner seat because he was using the position for personal gain.
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  • 35
    I think the cop narked on him.
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Tags

landowner corn neighbors work homeowner rent contract damage renting farm harvest field
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