Yesterday, I enjoyed watching the livestream of the American Agri-Women(“AAW”) Mid-Year Meeting in Nebraska City, Nebraska (between Omaha and Lincoln). Today is the last day of the mid-year meeting. If you are a member of the agriculture community, I recommend taking some time todayto watch the livestream! I think it is great that food and agriculture organizations, like AAW, are making video livestreams …
Giving New Life to the Term “Spring Cleaning” – Does Your Farm or AgriBusiness Have a Scanner?
I have to give a shout-out to a small little machine that has made a big difference to my life and law practice — the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M. In preparation of my move to my new office space at 535 Fifth Avenue, I spent the weekend scanning files and documents. I purchased this Bad Boy a few months ago and …
Overheard at a Bar on the Upper West Side
Last night, I was having dinner at a bar on the Upper West Side. I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation from the table next to me. The gentlemen were (civilly) discussing a business partnership that had gone bad. They had a “handshake” deal that started out with great dreams together (“You used to say ‘our’ and ‘we.’”) and somehow …
Winner of the Best of Barns Competition for Best Agriculture Attorney
Wow. 2011 was a great year (indeed). I hope that my readers had a wonderful New Year’s celebration with their family and friends. I wanted to share some (more) exciting news: I won Best Agriculture Attorney in the 2011 Best of Barns Competition. Thank you to those of you who nominated and/or voted for me — I’m very humbled (and …
Looking For New Year’s Resolution? How About Disaster Preparedness
Okay, so it’s not the most exciting New Year’s Resolution but it may be a whole lot more doable than dropping 30 pounds in 2012. On page 5 of this month’s Grassroots newspaper by New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) includes a nice submission by A. Edward Staehr of NY FarmNet about coping with a disaster (including grief counseling, recreating lost …
Thinking About the Next Generation
The National Agriculture Law Center has reported that approximately 90% of agricultural operations do not survive the transition to the next generation. I have to say- that statistic is a bit alarming. The primary reason for this is poor succession planning. Estate planning is just one part of workable succession plan. Estate planning focuses on asset distribution while succession planning …
Upcoming ABA Crop & Livestock Insurance CLE
As part of my new leadership role with the American Bar Association (“ABA”) General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division’s Agriculture Law Committee, I have been busy helping plan a Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) webinar on crop and livestock insurance. This program will lay down the fundamental building blocks for practicing either crop and or livestock insurance law. Please mark your …
Recorded Webinars Will Be Available in 2012
I have received numerous requests to have the Fridays with Cari Webinars recorded so they can be viewed at a later time. I will have the recorded webinars available for purchase at a later date — likely after the completion of this particular series in Early Spring. I need to work with the crew at Ranch House Designs, Inc. to …
Made The ABA Top 100 Blawg List: Would Love Your Vote (Again!)
After spending the last month campaigning in the Best of Barns Competition for Ag Agvocate of the Year and Best Agriculture Lawyer, I have some more exciting news to share… This Food and Agriculture Law Blog made the ABA Journal’s Top 100 Blawg List. I am incredibly humbled to be on the same list of so many brilliant legal bloggers. …
“Fridays with Cari” Webinar Series Kicks Off Today
I’m excited for my new webinar series titled “Fridays with Cari.” I will be discussing a variety of agriculture issues with my Friday webinar series ranging from livestock animal cruelty law to estate planning. I believe that legal information should be affordable for everyone in the food and agriculture industry and I hope that my webinars will be educational to …
Noteworthy Blog Posts for Young Cattle Producers
I had a guest post today on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Producer’s (“NCBA”) Young Producers’ Council’s (“YPC”) blog, Cattle Call, noting some of my blog posts that may be applicable to young cattle producers. If you have not done so already, I recommend subscribing to the Cattle Call RSS Feed. I was the founding editor of this blog and it …
The Family Business: Hiring and Firing Family Members
I really enjoyed reading the article by Don Tyler titled “Working with Family — Hiring (and Firing) Family Members in this month’s Feedlot magazine (pages 36, 38). It reminded me of the unique challenges that family businesses must face — whether it is a family farm/ranch or any other type of business. Intra-family dynamics can seriously affect the day-to-day operations …