Baker v. Praegitzer

Plaintiff, a tenant farmer, brought an action against the defendant landowner for conversion of a wheat crop. Defendant denied converting the wheat crop and counterclaimed, alleging plaintiff had breached the sharecrop agreement. The court, sitting without a jury, held plaintiff had established conversion but that defendant had failed to prove his counterclaim. Defendant’s appeal raises only the issue of the sufficiency of the evidence respecting the counterclaim. We affirm.

Sometime in 1974, the parties orally agreed to a lease of farm land owned by defendant to plaintiff. The arrangement,…