CRP and let the government pay you rent.

Row crop (soybeans are the best for your deer’s antlers imho) and winter wheat cover crop. Have no idea why your previous leassors wouldn’t want to do that. Row Crop ground down here goes for big $$ ($150 plus per acre per year for a lot of it, minimum $100). Cattle pasture rent is closer to $25-50.

Winter wheat as a cover crop suppresses other noxious winter weeds and produces biomass to add back to the dirt. It’s really a no brainer. It provides more $ in benefits than it costs (according to what the farmers I know have told me). It can be carried to harvest if the price is good ($12 per bushel last year I heard) or sprayed and killed or cut and baled for hay. Only downside to harvesting it is if you want to plant cotton or peanuts behind it, they’re going to be planted later than they should. If you get an early frost on late planted cotton or peanuts it can be very bad.

I don’t know where you are or how many farmers there are in the area, but down here land to rent is fought for, almost physically sometimes. It’s dog eat dog. You should NEVER have trouble finding a renter you can work with. Advertise it and see how many people call you.

Durana clover is absolutely the best thing I have found for this. Every field I have planted it on, is has spread over into these area's, and I have tried to get other forage crops to grow there.

I would seriously consider doing a portion in crp and leaving a portion in row crop. From discussions I’ve had with landowners in Kentucky, they are making the same odd crp as they do share cropping.

I’d continue with the row cropping, but block out a really nice permanent clover plot or two. That way, you’re still getting most of your land rent and you can have you a couple year round plots and you and your farmer don’t have to juggle schedules around each other.

Cover crops which are also typical deer plot plants.

The NRCS pays a nominal amount per acre to cover crop if your farmer is interested. It’s usually brassicas and the like which would be great.

There's no money in hay, for the person who rents the land to someone, or the person who rents the land from someone.

I’ve been trying to give it away if someone would cut it haven’t had a taker yet.

I can testify to that ^^^^^^.