I was having my “Miracle Morning” this morning and catching up on the the news. I came this article in USA Today by Rhonda Abrams titled “8 Keys to Running a Family Business.” When I hear “family business,” I cannot help but think about multi-generational food and agriculture businesses. Here are Rhonda’s tips: Decides who does which job. Like a …
Land Uses with Urban Agriculture
Although land use and zoning issues can also affect agriculture in rural areas throughout New York state, an urban or suburban farmer should carefully review the zoning code. According to Dean Patricia Salkin at Touro Law Center in the “Counseling the Local Food Movement” webinar with the American Bar Association, there are several zoning mechanisms that can be used to promote small-scale …
How to Make a Freedom of Information Act Request- Part 6
This is Part 6 of a 6 Part Blog Series on “How to Make a Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) Request“. Make sure to read the previous 5 blog posts to get the full picture! Step 6: Review FOIA Request After the agency has received your fees, it will process your request. The agency may send you a written “initial determination” …
Overview of FOIA for Food and Agriculture Businesses in New York
You may find a time when you want to see the documents available to the public about yourself or your food or agriculture operation. There are two main federal statutes that guide the process of obtaining information from the federal government: (i) Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) and (ii) Privacy Act (“PA”). In New York, requests can be made to …
Recording Available for Food & Ag Law Insurance CLE
One of the most common questions that I get from food and farm clients has to do with insurance. It affects every kind of business (including law practices!). It’s important for food and agriculture lawyers to have a cursory understanding on the breadth of issues that can arise with insurance in dealing with food and agriculture clients. Because of this, …
Recording Available for ABA Webinar on Intellectual Property for the Food and Ag Lawyer
For those of you who missed it, the recording of the intellectual property (“IP”) webinar that I moderated for the American Bar Association (“ABA”) General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division’s Agriculture Law Committee last November is now available for purchase. Even though I love participating in the live webcasts in case I have a question to ask, recordings are …
Some Food for Thought on Interns
Most businesses at one point or another come across the process of hiring interns. The decision to bring on an intern may be easy to take, but whether or not he should be paid is a matter that is more complicated. Many employers believe that as long as you label the person being hired as an intern that paying that …
Interested in Learning More About Insurance for Farms, Ranches, Agri-Businesses and Food Entrepreneurs?
I moderated a webinar for the American Bar Association’s (“ABA”) General Practice Solo & Small Firm Division’s Agriculture Law Committee on insurance for the farmer, rancher, agri-business or food entrepreneur. The recording is available for purchase here. This is a substantive CLE program covering many types of insurance including, but not limited to, Farmowners’ Comprehensive Liability Program (“FCLP”), commercial insurance, …
Save the Date: ABA Webinar on Intellectual Property Law Affecting Food & Agriculture
In my duties of Chair of the American Bar Association, General Practice Solo & Small Firm Division’s Agriculture Law Committee, I will be moderating a Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) webinar for the American Bar Association (“ABA”) on November 19, 2015 from 1:00 to 3:00pm ET titled “Overview of Intellectual Property Law Affecting Farmers, Agri-Businesses and Food Entrepreneurs“. Faculty members include Joel …
Video Lecture on Protecting the Food & Agribusiness with NDA’s, Contract Management and Intellectual Property
I gave a presentation a few weeks ago for Lawline titled “Protecting the Agribusiness: Managing Contracts, Trademarks and Non-Disclosure Agreements.” The video and slideshare presentation are posted below but if you are an attorney I suggest getting Continuing Legal Education credit directly from Lawline by registering here. Lawline Presentation: Protecting the Agribusiness- Managing Contracts, Trademarks and Non-Disclosure Agreements from Cari Rincker
Outline on Various Local Food Law Issues
I am a panelist next month in Tennessee and “Agritourism, CSA’s and Direct to Consumer Sales.” This outline was prepared for this panel. It contains both New York and Tennessee nuances. It discusses statistics re local food from the USDA Census of Agriculture and delves into Community Supported Agriculture, Farmers’ Markets, Agrotourism, Volunteer Farm Labor and Employment Law, On-Farm Poultry Slaughter, …
Register for the Upcoming Food/Ag Insurance Webinar for ABA
I will be moderating a CLE for the American Bar Association, General Practice Solo & Small Firm Division’s Agriculture Law Committee on September 15, 2015 at 2pm ET (1pm CT) titled “Counseling Farmers & Ranchers, Agri-Businesses and Food Entrepreneurs on Insurance.” Faculty members include Theodore A Feitshans, Mike Kelly, Maggy Gregory, Javan Grant and Rachel Armstrong. You can register for …