I will be moderating a webinar titled “Overview of Employment and Labor Law for Farms and Ranches” on Wednesday, February 20, 2013  from 2:00- 4:00 ET for the American Bar Association’s General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division’s Agriculture Law Committee.

Other faculty include Rachel Armstrong (Farm Commons), Kimbery Clarke (Varum LLP), Edward Cox (Drake University Agriculture Law Center), Karen Eichman (Law Office of Karen E. Eichman Esquire, PLLC), Maggy Gregory (Daniel, Medley and Kirby, P.C.), Jennifer Jambor (Farmers Legal Action Group) and Art Reid (Friends of Farmworkers, Inc.).

Faculty will discuss a myriad of employment and labor law issues affecting U.S. farms and ranches.  The discussion will include the following:

(1)  use of unpaid labor (e.g., apprenticeships, community volunteers, mentorships work shares) for farms and Community Supported Agriculture (“CSA’s”);

(2)  exemptions under Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), Migrant and Seasonal Agriculture Worker Protection Act (“MSPA”) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) for using family members as employees;

(3)  ”in kind” compensation for farm workers (e.g., food, housing);

(4)   various immigration issues affecting farms and ranches including work authorization, I-9 compliance,  and H2A applications;

(5)  compliance with FLSA, MSPA and Agriculture Worker Protection Act (“AWPA”);

(6)  pre-seasonal and seasonal responsibilities of the employer-farm or ranch;

(7) Family Medical Leave Act;

(8) Employee handbooks; and,

(9) “Ag Gag” legislation and undercover surveillance on the farm.

This two-hour CLE will be comprised of approximately 100 minutes of lecture and 20 minutes of Q & A.  Stay tuned for information on how to register!