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 …
Contract Management for the Food or Agri-Business
I have been working on a contract management spreadsheet for a agri-business client of mine over the last month or so. I think this is a healthy exercise for all food and agri-businesses, no matter the size. It’s a nice way to understand who the company has contracts with, including Non-Disclosure/ Confidentiality Agreements with (potential) customers or employees/independent contractors. When …
My Presentation on Local Food Law at Pace Law School
I gave the below presentation at Pace Law School last night. It was great being back at my alma mater. The recording is available for purchase from Pace Law School’s CLE program. Jason Foscolo handled the first part of the presentation speaking on direct marketing, food labeling, the Food Safety Modernization Act and raw milk. I touch upon several other …
Employment and Labor Law for Farms and Ranches
I’m super excited for this upcoming webinar that I’m moderating next week on employment and labor law for farms and ranches. The faculty have put together outstanding materials for the attendees. The webinar is open to the general public. Lawyers will be able to obtain CLE credit. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to register to reserve …
Pace Law School: Survey to Food and Agriculture Law
Exciting news! I will be teaching a 1 credit summer course at Pace Law School, my alum, that will give a cursory overview of the laws regulating the U.S. food and agriculture system. The class will touch on the various practice areas affecting production agriculture and food entrepreneurs including farm programs, disaster assistance, environmental law, financing, right-to-farm, employment/labor law, livestock …
Save the Date: Farm Employment/Labor Law Webinar on Feb. 20th
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 …
Confidentiality Agreements for Your Farm or Agri-Business
I recently wrote an article on confidentiality agreements for the agriculture community. It can be found on my JD Supra page here. I understand that Non-Disclosure Agreements (“NDA’s”) lack the “excitement factor” but a misappropriate of confidential information can have deleterious effects on a farm or agri-business. I encourage my readers to gain a cursory understanding in confidentiality agreements and …
Questions Farmers Should Ask When Reading Farmers’ Market Rules
As noted in my last post, I have enjoyed reading Prof. Neil Hamilton’s publication titled “Farmers’ Markets: Rules, Regulations and Opportunities.” He includes a nice list of questions for farmers/vendors to ask themselves when reviewing the Market Rules for a particular farmers’ market which include: (1) Who sponsors the farmers’ market? (2) How long as the farmers’ market been established? …
My Path Becoming an Agriculture Lawyer in New York City
Last month, I spoke to a group of Texas 4-H kids at a Texas A & M University via Skype about my work as an agriculture lawyer in New York City. I was asked to share a bit about my path and how I become an agriculture lawyer in the Big Apple. Here was my response: I grew up on …
Save the Date: Local Food Law Seminar at Pace Law School on October 29th
I’m excited to announce that I will be a faculty member for a Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) seminar at Pace University, School of Law (my alum) on Monday October 29th, 2012 from 6:00 to 8:30pm titled “Survey of Local Food.” Just as the title indicates, the speakers will be presenting on a myriad of practice areas affecting the local food …
Appointed as the Chair of the ABA GP Solo Agriculture Law Committee for 2012-2013
For the second year in a row, I have been appointed as the Chair of the American Bar Association’s (“ABA”) General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division’s Agriculture Law Committee for the 2012-2013 year. It has been an exciting first year getting the Committee up and going again with two fantastic Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) webinars on crop/livestock insurance and …
How to Legally Change Your Name in New York
It’s a new day….and time for a new last name. There are various reasons people want to change their names. This post will primarily focus on the process for changing your name incident to a divorce. Most Judgments of Divorce grant the ex-wife permission to resume using her maiden name (or surname). If this is the case, there is no …