It was a pleasure to be interviewed for this Syngenta Thrive article speaking on an issue near and dear to my heart- farm succession and estate planning. You can read more articles in the Thrive magazine here.
Understanding Land Trusts: Conservation Land Trusts
While the word “trust” is often used to refer to certain legal instruments in the estate planning world, “land trust” is sometimes instead used to describe a nonprofit organization that holds an interest in land for conservation purposes or for the benefit of a certain community of people. In this blog, I review the concept of conservation land trusts. What …
Understanding Land Trusts: Title-Holding Land Trusts
What is a land trust? The use of the phrase “land trust” can often lead to confusion, as it relates to a few completely distinct concepts. On the one hand, a land trust may refer to an estate planning tool wherein title to the land is held by a trustee at the owner’s request. On the other hand, a land …
Pros and Cons of a Family Limited Partnership
Owning your own business or investment portfolio can be incredibly rewarding. However, to preserve the fruits of your labor and dedication, you must do everything you can to protect it. Whether you seek to protect yourself, your investments, and your family from taxes, creditors, or probate, a family limited partnership (FLP) is a strategy worth considering. What is a family …
Ask Ruth: How do you Terminate an Oral Farm Lease in Illinois?
For years you and your tenant farmer have been working under an oral agreement regarding the farming of your real property. Now, for whatever reason, you need to terminate that agreement. How do you do this? Under Illinois law, farmland leases are subject to very specific rule. Whether leased on a crop share, livestock share, cash rent, or hybrid basis, …
Five Issues to Address in Your Farm Equipment Lease Agreement
What is a Farm Equipment Lease Agreement? A farm equipment lease is a long-term rental agreement between the owner of farm equipment (the lessor) and an individual or company that wishes to use the farm equipment (the lessee) in exchange for cash rent. Farm equipment leases are far from simple agreements. A properly drafted agreement will navigate the following five …
Episode 57 of Ag Law Today: Update on Animal Confinement Laws
I was excited to record this episode with Beth Rumley while I was in New York City a few weeks ago getting an update on where we are with animal confinement laws on this episode of Ag Law Today. It was an update from Episode 46 found here. I am an adjunct at Vermont Law School online and several of …
Ask Ruth: Direct Beef Sales in Illinois
There are two major considerations when selling beef in Illinois direct to the consumer. The first thing farmers should consider is how they want to sell their beef. Do you want to sell a percentage of the live animal, a percentage of processed beef, or an individual cut of beef? Depending on how you wish to sell your beef will …
Ask Cari: Custom Processing Agreements for Livestock Producers
Many livestock producers (like myself) sell meat directly to consumers. One common method used by livestock producers is selling a whole head, half a head or a quarter head of beef, pork, goat meat, lamb, etc. directly to the consumer for custom processing. I recently drafted a custom processing agreement for myself and this type of agreement can be useful …
