I took this photo on the Rincker Ranch several years ago. I love black baldy cows! (and cowboys...)

I made it safe and sound to Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee, for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (“NCBA”) Annual Convention and Trade Show.  I will be at Cattlemen’s College today and this tweet-up this evening with these awesome ag tweeps.  Tomorrow afternoon and evening I will be at the Young Producer’s Council (“YPC”) (@YPCBeef)  meeting and reception.  I’m also on various NCBA Committees including the Agriculture Policy Committee, Tax & Credit Committee, and Property Rights and Environmental Management (“PREM”) Committee.

Throughout the week, you can follow my convention tweets from both @CariRincker and @RinckerLaw with the #NCBA12 and/or #CIC12 hashtag (Why are there two hashtags to follow?  Good question).

If you are at NCBA Convention, please come find me.  If you aren’t, you can follow the fun via Twitter.  I have always found reading tweets from agriculture conferences educational so I encourage you follow along.

As a final note, I will be tweeting on my iPad that I won last year at NCBA Convention from Pfizer (thanks again!).

Each time I fly over New York City, I’m reminded how many people really live here.  I’m just one little light in this big ol’ city full of millions of little lights.  It’s quite beautiful to me, actually.  However, when so many people live in a densely populated area, there are bound to be a few disagreements.  That is where community mediation centers, such as the New York Peace Institute in Brooklyn and Manhattan, can help.

I first learned about the center last December when I completed the 40-hour Basic Mediation Training in order to be qualified to apply for the New York State Agriculture Mediation Program (“NYSAMP”).  I am currently participating in its 12 week apprenticeship program and will take the divorce mediation course next month.

New York Peace Institute handles almost every different kind of dispute (for free!)- including landlord/tenant, neighbor noise complaints, child custody and visitation, personal and/or business debt, breach of contracts, criminal, employment, divorces, property, and special education disputes.  From my experience thus far, the program’s mediators are fantastic and well-qualified.  They have been amazing teachers to me and I can really see how they touch the lives of the people who come into the center.

On a final note, the New York Peace Institute also offers consultation and training services.  I also encourage you to add CEO Brad Heckman’s blog into your RSS Feed.  You can also follow New York Peace Institute on Twitter.

I have received numerous requests to have the Fridays with Cari Webinars recorded so they can be viewed at a later time.  I will have the recorded webinars available for purchase at a later date — likely after the completion of this particular series in Early Spring.  I need to work with the crew at Ranch House Designs, Inc. to develop an online store to help streamline requests.  In the meantime, please RSVP for an upcoming live webinar on the Events Page or send me an idea for the next Fridays with Cari Webinar Series!  I have received several emails (and tweets!) from folks in the agriculture community who are interested in very specific topics.  Keep them coming!

Cold December day at the Rincker Ranch

Happy Sunday.  I wanted to alert my readers on a deadline that right around the corner.  The American National Cattlewomen, Inc. (“ANCW”) is currently taking applications for the National Beef Speakers Bureau (“NBSB”) through December 15, 2011.  You can find the application here.  Last year was the first year for the program.  With the help of cattlewomen from coast to coast, volunteers were able to reach both urban and rural consumers educating them about the U.S. beef cattle industry.

I have been on the NBSB for the last year and have enjoyed reaching out to consumers in metropolitan New York City.  I’m a big proponent of “agvocacy” via social media, local news outlets, and face-to-face conversations with the people around you — whether you are at the grocery store, in an elevator, on an airplane, or speaking to groups in your community.  It’s paramount for the agriculture industry to “put a face on the plate” and help bridge the gap of understanding between consumers and the folks who are involved in food production.  When I have conversations with New Yorkers about the livestock industry, I am repeatedly told that they want to hear the stories about the farmer pulling a calf out of a blizzard in the middle of the night or how the livestock producer gets up early, even on Christmas morning, to feed their animals.  Consumer yearn for both “hard cold facts” about why beef is safe to eat and feed to our families and “soft warm facts” about how farmers love and care for the animals they raise.

If you are considering applying for the NBSB, I also recommend completing the Master’s of Beef Advocacy (“MBA”) program through the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (“NCBA”) (it makes a great New Year’s Resolution!) and the Beef Quality Assurance (“BQA”) Program through your NCBA State Affiliate.  I completed both the MBA and BQA programs and believe that it is well worth it.

Overall, I had a great experience on NBSB — met some lifelong friends, gained invaluable knowledge, and (hopefully) made a difference in how the public views the beef industry.  If you are interested in applying, I recommend it.  ANCW does a good job running the program and travel expenses are paid through grant monies.  It’s a busy holiday season so get that application in before it’s too late!

Contact the NBSB Program Manager at 303-850-3440 orsbohnenkamp@ancw.org for more information.

After spending the last month campaigning in the Best of Barns Competition for Ag Agvocate of the Year and Best Agriculture Lawyer, I have some more exciting news to share… This Food and Agriculture Law Blog made the ABA Journal’s Top 100 Blawg List.  I am incredibly humbled to be on the same list of so many brilliant legal bloggers.  Additionally, I feel so honored to have received so many recommendations from my beloved readers, supporters, and “ag tweeps.” So thank you for taking the time to recommend this blog to the ABA Journal.  I hope that you can all see the deeply instilled passion that I have for the food and agriculture industry.   I’m very proud to be part of this industry that is so near to my heart and serve people like my father and grandfather who have spent their lives earning a living from the land.

The American Bar Association (“ABA”) is taking votes during the month of December on Top 100 Blawgs.  I know we’ve entered a busy holiday season, but I would love your vote.  You can find this blog listed in the “niche” category.

You can also follow @RinckerLaw on Twitter along with the other Top 100 Tweeps here.  I also encourage you to peruse the ABA Blawg Directory to find some other great “blawgs” covering a myriad of practice areas and jurisdictions.

I’m excited for my new webinar series titled “Fridays with Cari.”  I will be discussing a variety of agriculture issues with my Friday webinar series ranging from livestock animal cruelty law to estate planning.  I believe that legal information should be affordable for everyone in the food and agriculture industry and I hope that my webinars will be educational to my attendees.

All of the webinars are on Fridays at 2pm ET.  I’m planning on doing the following webinars this fall/winter and would appreciate if my readers would share this information to those that may be interested:

1.  Overview of New York Livestock Animal Cruelty Law:  Today I will give an overview of livestock animal cruelty law in New York and discuss the law of search and seizure of livestock.

2.  Twitter 101:  Tweeting for the Food and Agriculture Industry:  Are you new to Twitter or thinking about joining?  Next Friday I will give the Twitter ABC’s and discussing everything from setting up a profile, using hashtags, and third party applications such as Tweetdeck and HootSuite.

3.  Embryo Transfer Contracts for the Livestock Industry:  On November 18th, I will be giving an overview of contracts dealing with embryo transfers in the horse and livestock industry.

4.  Pre-Nuptial and Post-Nuptial Agreements for the Agriculture Community:  Whether you are already married or recently engaged, on December 2nd I will give an overview on why farm/ranch families should think about whether pre- or post- nuptial agreements are for them.

5.  Overview of Estate and Succession Planning for the Agriculture Community:  This is a topic that I am extremely passionate about and hope many of my readers will sign up for this particular webinar.  On December 16th (entering the holiday season), I will give an overview on estate and succession planning for the ag community.

6.  New Year, New Resolution – Putting Livestock Sales Contracts in Writing:  I’m going discuss livestock sales contracts to bring in the New Year on January 6th.  I will give an overview of contract law and list suggested provisions that may be included in the livestock sales contract.

7.  New Year, New Resolution – General Partnership Agreements for the Food & Agriculture Community:   A general partnership is formed with more than one person enters an agreement to go into business together and share profits.  But what does that “agreement” entail?  The food and agriculture industry should think about putting general partnership agreements in writing.  On January 13th, I will give an overview of partnership law and suggest language that should be included in the general partnership agreement.

8.  New Year, New Resolution – Legal Issues Pertaining to NY Start-Up Businesses:  Are you considering starting a business in New York?  On January 27th, I will give an overview of legal issues that New York start-up businesses should consider including trademark law, business organizations, and business plans.

9.  Legal Issues Pertaining to Livestock Photographers:  Livestock photography law?  Huh?  Yes, that’s right.  On February 10th, I will discuss applicable laws including business formations, trademark law, and copyright law.

10.  Getting Divorced in New York:  An Overview of the Process:  Are you considering getting divorced in New York State?  I will discuss court procedures, stages in litigation, grounds for divorce including “no fault” divorce, separation agreements, child support, temporary/durational spousal maintenance, forensic accounting, and Alternative Dispute Resolution (e.g., mediation and collaborative divorce).

You can register for the webinar by visiting the Events Page.  I have received several emails inquiring whether the webinars will be recorded and sold at a later date.  Right now, I am planning on rerunning the webinars at a later date so if you miss the first one you can attend it in the future.  However, I am considering recording the webinars so please stay tuned for more details.

Participation in the webinars will be completely confidential.  I am very aware that some of the issues – particularly the webinars dealing with pre/post-nuptial agreements and divorce- are extremely sensitive topics.  Your identity will not be disclosed to the other participants.

It is important to note that the webinars are for informational purposes only and are not designed to give legal advice.  There will be no attorney-client privilege for questions asked during the webinar.  If you specific legal questions that need addressed, you are encouraged to speak directly to an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.

This is a picture of my pretty iMac that I use everyday. Looking forward to communicating with you via the Web.

Thanks to Ranch House Designs, there have been a few changes recently to www.rinckerlaw.com.  I would like to bring your attention to the new “Events” page located here.

Beginning in November, I am starting a new webinar series titled “Fridays with Cari” that will focus on a myriad of food and agriculture law issues including New York livestock animal cruelty law, embryo transfer contracts, pre/post-nuptial agreements, overview of  estate planning, livestock sales contracts, general partnership agreements, New York business law, and matrimonial law.  I am giving special webinars for New York start-ups and livestock photographers. I am also offering a special webinar giving step-by-step instructions on how to tweet.

Even though I am located in New York City, I’m just an internet connection away.  I hope you will consider joining me for a Friday afternoon this fall/winter.  Participation is completely confidential and your identity will not be disclosed to other participants on the call.  You can find the registration form on the Events page.  Please fax/email/mail at least 24 hrs before the event.  I will email you information regarding the dial-in number and log-in information that morning.  I will also email you the written materials ahead of time.

Of course, if you would like to meet in person (the ol’ fashioned way), please find directions to my office here.

This photograph was taken at the Allegany County Fair last month. I judged the open beef show. Congrats to Ken & Jeanne White from Simme Valley Simmentals for having my Grand Champion Heifer.

I hope all of my readers had a wonderful Labor Day.  I had a great time at the New York State Fair over the weekend with my father.  You can find several of the pictures that I took during the open beef show on my Twitter page (@CariRincker).

I always gain a newfound passion for the food industry every time I attend a county or state fair.  It’s good for your soul.  I believe strongly that hard work teaches kids to be good people.  After watching and talking to these young people, I am excited for the future of the agriculture industry.  Let us all continue to support our local 4-H and FFA program.

I want to take a moment and thank all of the people in every segment of the food industry whose labor feeds us all.  Whether you are a farmer, food processor, grocery store clerk, meat butcher, agriculture graphics design company, ag lobbyist, or street vendor in NYC – thank you for what you do for the food and agriculture industry.

I love this pink tractor that I spotted at the New York State Fair

One of Leadbelly's most well known songs is "Goodnight Irene"

“Good night Irene Good night…”  I have fond memories from my days at Texas A & M University–that classic song plays every time the Dixie Chicken on North Gate in College Station closes down for the evening (you can watch Willie Nelson’s version here) to let everyone know to stop playing 42 and go home for the night.

I decided to jump in my jeep (with my cat, Felicity) late Friday night from New York City to beat to rush out of the city on Saturday morning.  On Friday night, it was eerily the same as any other night on the Upper West Side.  There were many people walking along the streets and several enjoying drinks and conversation with family and friends.  I have been in Syracuse all weekend since I am judging the Junior Angus show tomorrow at the New York State Fair.  My eyes have been glued to CNN watching updates on hurricane Irene.

I have been very concerned about the farms on the east coast– especially the rooftop farms in New York City and the farms in Long Island.  You are all in my thoughts and prayers.  I have heard very little about how the hurricane affected the east coast agriculture industry in mainstream news so  I would love to hear updates on how the farms along the east coast weathered the hurricane, what precautions they took, what damages have been incurred, and whether the farm had crop and/or livestock insurance.  Hurricane Irene inflicted over $17 million of damages to the Puerto Rico agriculture industry.  It is estimated that Mother Nature has inflicted around $10 billion dollars of damage in total.

For the future, I hope that all farms take the proper precautions.  As an attorney, I am oftentimes counseling clients on the “worst possible scenario” in any particular transaction.  Be prepared (and manage the risk) for the “worst possible scenario” – including a 100 year storm such as Hurricane Irene.

A few resources:

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) National Agriculture Library has information regarding disaster planning for livestock here.
• The New Jersey Farm Bureau has a few tips on preparing farms for natural disasters here.
• You can find a few hurricane tips from the University of Massachusetts Cooperative Extension here.
• Finally, Cornell Cooperative Extension has some information regarding emergency preparedness here.

For those of you at the New York State Fair, I will be in the beef barns tomorrow afternoon and will be there again next weekend.  You can follow my tweets from the New York State Fair @CariRincker.

As noted here, I will be conducting New York Matrimonial & Family Law Seminar for mental health professionals along with Deborah Kaminetzky (@CedarhurstLaw on Twitter) from 9:30am to 11:00am on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at the Adria Hotel & Conference Center at 221-17 Northern Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361, telephone (718) 631-5900.  The cost of the event will be $30 (or $40 after September 7th) which includes a continental breakfast.

The following topics will be discussed:

1)  grounds for divorce in New York;

2) the new “no fault” divorce law;

3)  conversion divorces and separation agreements;

4) child support;

5) child custody and visitation/parenting time;

6) spousal support (temporary, durational & rehabilitative);

7) parental alienation;

family offenses/ domestic violence and orders of protection;

9) duty to report family offenses;

10)  NY Marriage Equality Act / same-sex marriage;

11) Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements;

12)  Settling a divorce (including Stipulation of Settlement);

13)  Alternative Dispute Resolution (mediation and collaborative divorce); and,

14)  Psychological testing/testimony in family/matrimonial trials.

There will also be a webinar discussing these same topics for mental health professionals on Thursday, October 6, 2011 from 12:00pm to 1:30pm.  The cost of the webinar is $15 and you must register by October 5.  The outline, link to GoToMeeting and dial-in information will be emailed ahead of time.

I hope to have the registration form posted on this website soon but in the meantime please email me at cari@rinckerlaw.com for a copy of the registration form.  I will be updating my website soon and adding an “events” page.  Please stay tuned for future dates of webinars on various agriculture law topics.