My book is a pretty quick read. I did my best to break down complex food and agriculture law concepts for the farmer or food entrepreneur. You can find it for sale here. It’s 400 pages of fun to review over the weekend before the holiday rush begins!
Free CLE: Counseling the Local Food Movement (Part One)
I gave this presentation to Lawline last Thursday. It was the first part of a two part series on “Counseling the Local Food Movement.” I discussed the history of direct farm marketing, current trends, cottage food operations (i.e., home based food processing), liability and insurance. You can listen to my presentation and get a FREE CLE by clicking here. …
Stocker Cattle Contracts
There are several issues to consider when a cattle producer hires a stocker feeder after the progeny are weaned. Besides the payment terms and term, example issues include the following: 1. Feed and nutrition (including pasture quality and supplemental vitamins and nutrients); 2. Animal health (including vaccinations, veterinary care, deworming for internal parasites); and, 3. Control of pests (e.g., insecticides, …
Attending the 2013 Annual Agriculture Law Symposium
I am looking forward to the American Agriculture Law Association (“AALA”) Annual Meeting on October 31-November 2, 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin. You can find a brochure for the conference online here. If you’re there, please be sure to say hello. Of course I will be tweeting from the conference with the hashtag #AA13. The Annual Updates in Agriculture Law …
Legal Structure of Farmers’ Markets
Kudos to Erin Kee and Jason Foscolo for co-authoring this substantive article on the the choices of entities for farmers’ markets. I’m teaching the undergraduate food law course at New York University this semester. Today, I am lecturing on direct farm marketing and local food law. Erin and Jason’s article was included in the “recommended reading” for today’s lecture. I …
Ask Cari: What are the Common Mistakes Farmers Make When Creating Their Estate Plans
I was asked this question by a farm journalist. My response is below. Mistake #1: Believing that having a Last Will and Testament is an “estate plan.” Many people think that “estate planning” is really just hiring a lawyer to draft a Last Will and Testament; however, it’s more complicated than that. A good estate planning attorney will have you …
North Carolina Farm & Food Law CLE – Contracts
I am excited to participate in the North Carolina Farm and Food Law CLE on October 17, 2013 at the North Carolina Bar Center in Cary, North Carolina. I will be giving an “Overview of Common Agriculture Contracts in North Carolina” including agriculture production contacts, custom feeding arrangements, farm leases, farm machinery agreements, and partnership agreements for farms and food …
What do Farmers and Agri-Businesses Have to Say About Ag Lawyers?
Last month I conducted a survey for farmers, agribusinesses and food entrepreneurs about agriculture lawyers. The results were used in this presentation that I gave in Ohio on getting and keeping agriculture clients. This article on my JD Supra page offers a summary of the survey and my $0.02 on what it means for agriculture lawyers.
Overview of USDA Agriculture Marketing Service
I’m currently conducting a blog series where each week I give an overview of the responsibilities of a government agency regulating our food and agriculture system. I think it’s a helpful reminder for everyone on just how complex our regulatory system really is. It’s a game of Who’s Who for government players in the U.S. food and agriculture economy. The …
CSA Agreements – Get Them In Writing
Although most CSA’s do not have a written contract, I highly suggest that farms have a simple CSA Agreement signed by the subscribers. Not only does it help secure payment terms, but the CSA Agreement should mitigate potential liability in the case of a food safety issue arising from the mishandling or misuse of the food product. It doesn’t have …
NY Ag/Equine Lien: Lien of Bailee of Animals
Under Section 183 of NY Lien Law, any veterinarian who renders the treatment or boards any dog, cat, or other domestic animal or person keeping a livery stable, boarding stable or pasturing animals has a lien over the animal and any equipment kept and stored in conjunction with the animal such as a “wagon, truck, cart, carriage, vehicle or harness”. …