Happy Friday! You can now order “Field Manual: Legal Guide for New York Farmers and Food Entrepreneurs” on Amazon.com here. I wrote this book along with Pat B. Dillon, the author of the Iowa version of this book.
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 …
New York Food and Agriculture Law Book for Farmers and Food Entrepreneurs – Coming Soon!
I’m super excited to announce that I have a New York food and agriculture law book that will be published soon! I co-authored this book with the great Pat Dillon, an Iowa agriculture lawyer who wrote Field Manual: Iowa Farmer’s Guide to Legal Issues. This book is specifically designed to assist New York farmers and food entrepreneurs.
Happy Fourth Year Anniversary to this Blog (and my law practice)
I hope my readers had a great Fourth of July. I just got back from the Berkshires. You can see some of my pictures on Instagram. Back to business.. I had a great first, second, and third anniversary for this blog, but I have to say – Year 4 has been the best. Thank you for support from my blog …
Conversation Starters about Estate and Succession Planning for Farms
Don’t be afraid to have open and honest conversations with your family about estate and succession planning. “The only thing certain in life is death and taxes,” Ben Franklin famously said; so let us not make the topic taboo. In order for a farm or agri-business to successfully pass to the next generation (if that is what you want), …
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 …
Mediator for the New York State Agriculture Mediation Program (NYSAMP)
Since completing the mediation apprenticeship program with the New York Peace Institute, my Community Dispute Resolution Center (“CDRC”) in Manhattan and Brooklyn, I have been admitted to the roster of mediators for the New York State Agriculture Mediation Program (“NYSAMP”). NYSAMP works with the CDRC’s in each country throughout New York to provide free mediation services for the New York …
New York Estate Planning, Medicaid & Trusts
Happy New Year’s Eve! For those of you thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions for 2013, I recommending getting your estate planning in order. Kudos goes out to Daniel Timins, a law school classmate of mine, for putting together some excellent New York estate planning and medicaid presentations. This presentation gives a nice overview of New York Medicaid. The presentation …
Succession Planning for the Family Farm
A few months ago, Feedstuffs magazine published an interesting article by Rod Smith discussing the obstacles that young farmers face. It reminded me of the importance of succession planning for the family farm. “More than a third of U.S. farmers are 65 years old or older, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture” — a statistic that many of us …
Difference Between Owning Property at Death as Tenancy in Common or Joint Tenancy with Rights of Survivorship
I’ve enjoyed reading this book by Neil Harl on farm and estate planning. Harl does a nice job illustrating the difference in holding property at death in Tenancy in Common vs. Joint Tenancy (with rights of survivorship). Harl explains (page 22), “[a]t death of a tenant in common, that individual’s undivided interest passes to that individual’s heirs under state law …
Does Your Farm or Agri-Business Need a “Power Audit?”
I really love Neil Harl’s book titled “Farm Estate & Business Planning.” He briefly talks about the “power issue” when it comes to farm families and warns folks to consider this issue when formulating an estate plan. He illustrates this point with the following example: “An aggressive, able farmer died unexpectedly just days short of his 50th birthday. The business, …