Happy Friday! I gave a presentation yesterday to the National Agricultural Law Center along with the great Tiffany Dowell. The below presentation focuses on active v. passive income, basic types of farm leases, and general farm lease provisions. Hope that it is helpful! [slideshare id=32186578&doc=nalcfarmleases-140311132029-phpapp01]
Farm and Ranch Lease Webinar
I will be presenting on farm and ranch leases on March 12, 2014 with Tiffany Dowel, an agriculture lawyer and extension specialist with Texas A & M University for the National Agricultural Law Center (“NALC”). The CLE is titled “Farm & Ranch Leases: Overview and Practical Negotiation Pointers.” The webinar is free to members of the American Agricultural Law Association. …
Succession Planning for Your Farming Business
Proud of my little cousin Austin Rincker- He made the cover of the Illinois Field and Bean last month (the flagship publication of the Illinois Soybean Association). He is noted in the article starting on page 6 titled “Successful Succession- Begin With the End in Mind.” If you follow this blog then you know how important succession planning for farms, …
Using Business Entities as a Risk Management Tool for Your Farm or Food Business
I enjoyed presenting at the NOFA-NY Annual Meeting last Sunday in Saratoga Springs, NY. My presentation on “Using Business Entities as a Risk Management Tool to Help Organic Growth for your Food & Agriculture Business” is below. [slideshare id=30215443&doc=organicgrowthforyourbusiness-useofbusinessentities-140120092329-phpapp02]
Some Great Press- Thankful for my Lake Land College Experience!
As some of you might know, I’m a proud “distinguished” alum from Lake Land College, in Mattoon, Illinois (see this as well). It has been instrumental in my path in becoming an agriculture lawyer in New York City. You can read this press release that was recently published about my win in the Best of the Barns Competition. Thank you …
Organic Growth for your Food & Agri-Business- Using Business Entities as a Risk Management Tool
I’ll be speaking this Sunday, January 26, 2014 at the Northeast Organic Farming Association (“NOFA”) of New York’s Annual Meeting in Saratoga Falls. My presentation is titled “Getting Prepared for Organic Growth: Using Business Entities as a Risk Management Tool.” My presentation will give an overview of the different choices of business entities, including sole proprietorships, general partnerships, limited partnerships, …
Hear Me Talk Farm Estate and Succession Planning on Heritage Greenhorns Radio
I will be on Heritage Radio Network out of Brooklyn tomorrow, Tuesday, January 14, 2014 from 4-4:30pm ET during the Greenhorns Radio spot. My interview focuses heavily on the farm estate and succession planning (not purposefully – it’s just the way the conversation went). I’m a huge believer that families should have open and candid conversations about succession planning of …
My Food and Agriculture Law Book is now Available on Kindle!
You can now purchase the electronic copy of Field Manual: Legal Guide for New York Farmers and Food Entrepreneurs on Kindle for $9.99 (or $2.99 if you already own the hard copy of the book) here. I don’t own a Kindle but I did download the Kindle application on my iPad. After a quick purchase on Amazon.com, Kindle uploaded it …
C-Corp, S-Corp, B-Corp- Huh? What’s Best for Your Food and Agriculture Operation
Under NY Business Corporation Law (“BCL”), a corporation is formed in New York by filing a Certificate of Incorporation with the NYS Department of State. Individual shareholders will not be held personally liable for the debt of the corporation unless the “corporate shield” can be pierced. The corporate shield can be pierced in New York if a court finds that the …
Lawline Lecture: Counseling the Local Food Movement
As I noted in this post, last month, I enjoyed presenting at Lawline on Counseling the Local Food Movement Part II. It was Part III of a Three Part series that I did at Lawline this fall on food and agriculture law. In this presentation, I discuss I discuss Food Safety Modernization Act, the National Organic Program, Right-to-Farm law, backyard …
Some Thoughts on Bull Partnership Agreements
Are you going *in* on a bull partnership? Getting a written bull partnership agreement is a way to help ensure that everyone is on the same page. Here are some thoughts for a bull partnership agreement. 1. Who are the original business partners and ownership shares? 2. Will unanimous or majority consent be required if a partner decides to sell …
Partnerships – A Common Entity Choice for Food and Agriculture Operations
At one point or another, most food and agriculture operations form a partnership with another person or entity. Perhaps it is a partnership on a single head of livestock (e.g., stallion, bull, boar, show heifer) or perhaps it is a more long-term partnership where profits and losses will be shared among family members or multiple people and entities. Partnerships can happen …