I am oftentimes asked about the best choice of business entity for a farm/ranch, agri-business or food entrepreneur. There is no one-size fits all answer to that question as each type of business entity offers different strengths and weaknesses. It is important to pick the right business entity for your specific type of enterprise – the answer to that question may …
Overview of New York Local Food Law
I recently wrote this article giving an overview of local food law in New York. It gives an overview of the myriad of legal issues affecting farmers and food entrepreneurs involved in the local food movement including direct farm marketing, cottage food operation law, and a checklist of other legal issues such food safety, contract law, land use and zoning, insurance …
Upcoming Agriculture Law CLE on 1031 Exchanges
As I noted in this post, I will be moderating a Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) webinar on May 29th at 2pm ET for the American Bar Association (“ABA”) General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division (“GP Solo”) Agriculture Law Committee on 1031 Exchanges. (Whew- that’s a mouthful). Members of the American Agriculture Law Association (“AALA”) can attended at the ABA …
Save the Date: AALA Northeast Regional Meeting
I am on the planning committee for the first ever American Agriculture Law Association (“AALA”) Northeast Regional Meeting scheduled for June 6, 2014 at the University of Maryland, School of Law. I am helping put together the employment/labor law session that day but we will also have helpful sessions on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (“CAFO’s”) and environmental law, the Food …
My Farm Lease Presentation
Happy Friday! I gave a presentation yesterday to the National Agricultural Law Center along with the great Tiffany Dowell. The below presentation focuses on active v. passive income, basic types of farm leases, and general farm lease provisions. Hope that it is helpful! [slideshare id=32186578&doc=nalcfarmleases-140311132029-phpapp01]
Farm and Ranch Lease Webinar
I will be presenting on farm and ranch leases on March 12, 2014 with Tiffany Dowel, an agriculture lawyer and extension specialist with Texas A & M University for the National Agricultural Law Center (“NALC”). The CLE is titled “Farm & Ranch Leases: Overview and Practical Negotiation Pointers.” The webinar is free to members of the American Agricultural Law Association. …
Using Business Entities as a Risk Management Tool for Your Farm or Food Business
I enjoyed presenting at the NOFA-NY Annual Meeting last Sunday in Saratoga Springs, NY. My presentation on “Using Business Entities as a Risk Management Tool to Help Organic Growth for your Food & Agriculture Business” is below. [slideshare id=30215443&doc=organicgrowthforyourbusiness-useofbusinessentities-140120092329-phpapp02]
Organic Growth for your Food & Agri-Business- Using Business Entities as a Risk Management Tool
I’ll be speaking this Sunday, January 26, 2014 at the Northeast Organic Farming Association (“NOFA”) of New York’s Annual Meeting in Saratoga Falls. My presentation is titled “Getting Prepared for Organic Growth: Using Business Entities as a Risk Management Tool.” My presentation will give an overview of the different choices of business entities, including sole proprietorships, general partnerships, limited partnerships, …
Lawline Lecture: Counseling the Local Food Movement
As I noted in this post, last month, I enjoyed presenting at Lawline on Counseling the Local Food Movement Part II. It was Part III of a Three Part series that I did at Lawline this fall on food and agriculture law. In this presentation, I discuss I discuss Food Safety Modernization Act, the National Organic Program, Right-to-Farm law, backyard …
Upcoming Farm Commons Webinars for Farmers
Rachel Armstong of Farm Commons has put together a killer list of webinars on a myriad of legal topics important for farmers, among them include: – Overview of Farm Legal Issues – Community Supported Agriculture Legal Issues – Hosting On-Farm Events – Workers and Employees -Selling Products to Larger Buyers -Starting a Farm -Adding Value to Farm Products -Food Safety …