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 …
New York Sanitation Requirements for Direct Marketing of Food Products
New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets (“NYSDAM”) has sanitation requirements for the direct marketing of food products. Pursuant to Article 17, NYSDAM regulates the food sanitary conditions of “retail food stores.” Said “retail food stores” do not include roadside stands, on-farm outlets, and farmers’ markets. Even though farmers participating in these methods are still subject to inspection, if …
On-Farm Poultry Slaughter Guide for the New York Farmer
I want to commend the Cornell Small Farms Program for its publication titled “On-Farm Poultry Slaughter Guidelines” (available on its resources page). I reviewed the guide in its entirety in preparation for the local food CLE that was scheduled at Pace Law School in October (rescheduled for March 13th due to Hurricane Sandy). I recommend the guide to any farmer …
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? …
Legal Issues Pertaining to Farmers Markets and its “Market Rules”
I had a chance recently to review Prof. Neil Hamilton’s publication titled “Farmers’ Markets: Rules, Regulations and Opportunities.” Though it was drafted nearly a decade ago, he does a nice job highlighting legal issues relevant to todays’ farmers markets. As Prof. Hamilton states, it’s important for the farmer to clearly understand the “Market Rules” (or “Statement of Rules”) for each …
Local Food Law CLE at Pace Law School Rescheduled for Spring
The Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) seminar at Pace Law School giving a “Survey of Local Food Law” in New York has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 13, 2013. It was originally scheduled for October 29th — the day Hurricane Sandy decided to pay a visit to the East Coast. I hope that you will plan to attend the adjourned spring …
New York Law on “Cottage Food Operations” (or Home Processed Food)
One of the several topics that I will be covering on October 29th at this seminar at Pace Law School will be New York Cottage Food Operation Law (i.e., Home Processed Food or Home-Based Kitchens). I want to stress that the seminar is open to the general public (only $15) so I highly encourage my readers in New York to …
“The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy”
If you haven’t read the Congressional Research Service (“CRS”) Report titled “The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy” then I recommend doing so. Prof. Neil Hamilton included it in the materials for this local food CLE last spring and I finally got a chance to review it. It’s chalk-full of helpful information, statistics, and data. The publication …
Starting a Mobile Food Business?
I love entrepreneurs, especially food and agriculture entrepreneurs. I was reading this publication last week and enjoyed its discussion on mobile food businesses, which are taking off in metropolitan areas like New York City. Mobile food businesses are more than just food trucks– it can include mobile farmers markets, mobile grocery stores, and produce carts. Mobile food businesses have the …
Registration Form Available for Local Food Law Seminar at Pace Law School
The registration form is available for the Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) Seminar at Pace Law School in White Plains, New York on Monday, October 29th on a survey of local food law. It is open to the public and the general admission is only $15. There will be approximately 20 minutes or so of Q & A so come ready …
New York State Farmers Markets
I was recently reminded of this expansive list of farmers markets (organized by county) throughout New York State by the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets. You can find the winter markets here. In New York City, GrowNYC’s Greenmarket, Community Markets and Harvest Home are the Big 3. I’m excited about the growth of farmers markets in both urban and …
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 …