* The Beginning Farmer’s Introduction to Farm Law
* Put Your CSA On Strong Legal Footing
* Hosting Safe, Legally Secure Farm Events
* Adding Value Without Adding Legal Liability To Farm Products
* Farmland Leases Built to Last: Content and Legal Context
* Food Safety Liability And Regulations For The Farm
* Sales Contracts for Farm Produce: Why and How
* Making Employment Law Work For Your Farm
* Farm Sole Proprietorships, LLCs, S Corps, C Corps, and Coops: Which?
Why? How?
* Going In-Depth With CSA Farm Law
* Getting Farm Work Done Legally With Interns, Apprentices, And
Volunteers
* Financing A Farmland Purchase: Legal basics for traditional and
non-traditional farmland purchases
* Efficiently Manage Your Farm’s Risks With Insurance
Beginning farmers we’ll get a preview of the many legal issues they should
consider when just starting out with farming. What business entity should a
farmer choose? Which insurance policies are really important? What about that
farmland lease- when should it be written down and what should it say? Is
there anything to know about farmers market sales, volunteers, or working
with family members? This webinar will touch on all of these questions and
more.
CSA is an incredibly unique relationship between farmer and customer. But,
this means it also has unique legal dynamics. CSA farmers who critically
analyze their membership agreement, drop sites, and farm event programs
beforehand set themselves up for success. Learn how an attorney sees CSA and
what you can do to protect your farm. This webinar will also discuss risks
with farm volunteer programs and buying the right insurance.
On-farm events are a great way to build support in the community. And,
they’re a lot of fun! But as the saying goes, it’s only fun until someone
loses an eye. Make sure your farm isn’t left with the short end of the stick
after a good-intentioned event goes bad. >From zoning compliance to guest
injuries and serving prepared food, we’ll work through a checklist of things
a farm should address before hosting an event.
Adding Value Without Adding Legal Liability To Farm Products
Although starting a processing operation, improving packaging, and developing
new products are great ways to make the farm more profitable, these
activities have a huge legal impact. Employment laws, liability potential,
state/federal regulations, and tax factors all change when a farm begins to
process product. Farms relying on cottage food laws should make sure to
attend- we’ll talk about what these laws do not do to protect farms.
Farmland Leases Built to Last: Content and Legal Context
Leasing farmland is so commonplace farmers may not think twice about the
lease itself… until things go wrong. Don’t let misunderstandings with
landowners hinder your farm. Prevent problems with a strong lease that
addresses water usage, equipment access, payment strategies, dispute
resolution procedures, long-term concerns, and termination processes, plus
more. Negotiating tactics and various laws affecting farmland leases will be
on the agenda.
Food Safety Liability And Regulations For The Farm
We’ve been hearing all about the upcoming regulations under the Food Safety
Modernization Act. But, as important as it is, farm liability for food safety
goes beyond this new law. A food safety incident has potentially disastrous
implications for any direct-to-consumer farmer. We’ll talk about how a food
safety incident plays out, from lawsuits to recalls and contract breaches.
Most importantly, we’ll talk about ways to protect farmers.
Everyone loves local food! Consumers, restaurants, grocery stores, schools,
and child care facilities are buying more and more product. No matter the
size of the buyer, a good relationship between buyer and farmer is key to
making these sales profitable over the long-term. The right sales agreement-
a written one that addresses ordering, cancellation, and payment terms- can
help keep everyone happy. Learn how and why farmers should pay attention to
the "terms" of their sales and strongly consider writing down sales
agreements.
Employment law is probably the single most complex legal concern for farmers.
Especially for the diversified farm, navigating farm and non-farm employment
law is no walk in the park. This webinar will break down federal minimum
wage, workers’ compensation and overtime, plus migrant worker laws. (They
apply to more than just migrant workers!) Worker-exchange programs,
independent contractors, employment manuals, injury liability, discrimination
and a host of other concerns round out the discussion. Checklists and
flowcharts will help make the process easy.
Farm Sole Proprietorships, LLCs, S Corps, C Corps, and Coops: Which? Why?
How? (Advanced)
Many farms operate as a sole proprietorship but growing numbers of farmers
are choosing an LLC instead. Learn what an LLC or corporation can and cannot
do to protect the farm business. A any solid business entity also needs
managing paperwork. Learn what an operating agreement or bylaws can do for
the farm and what to write into them. We’ll also discuss options for
cooperative ventures, entity structures to pass on the farm business, and
some tax aspects of business entities.
In this webinar, farmers will get in-depth tools to move forward on managing
sales, drop-site, volunteer, and worker share matters. We’ll also discuss
some of the more unique CSA programs like farmers’ market pre-pay programs
and multi-farm cooperative CSAs. Farmers who’ve already attended one of Farm
Commons’ basic CSA law programs will get a lot out of this advanced session.
Getting Farm Work Done Legally With Interns, Apprentices, And Volunteers
(Advanced)
CSA is an incredibly unique relationship between farmer and customer. But,
this means it also has unique legal dynamics. CSA farmers who critically
analyze their membership agreement, drop sites, and farm event programs
beforehand set themselves up for success. Learn how an attorney sees CSA and
what you can do to protect your farm. This webinar will also discuss risks
with farm volunteer programs and buying the right insurance.
Financing A Farmland Purchase: Legal basics for traditional and
non-traditional farmland purchases (Advanced)
Finding money to purchase land and capital is a huge issue for many farmers.
Bank loans, land contracts (aka contracts for deed), and family financing
offer some solutions. The legal language behind promissory notes, security
agreements, land contracts, and mortgages isn’t just “boilerplate.” Farmers
will learn the basics behind these documents. Farmers are also exploring new
opportunities such as crowdsourcing funds from farm customers, friends, and
members. To avoid costly fines, farmers must pay attention to the state and
federal securities laws that affect these opportunities. This webinar will
give farmers knowledge of the legal basics when financing farmland.
Efficiently Manage Your Farm’s Risks With Insurance (Advanced)
Insurance is vital to build a resilient farm but it’s enough to make anyone’s
head spin. What’s a farm liability policy and is it the same as a
property/casualty policy? How does it work with a homeowner’s policy? Is
workers’ compensation required and how does it work? If that isn’t enough, we
also have to think about commercial policies for value-added products and
farm events. Crop insurance is also important- we’ll learn about the latest
and most affordable options. Find the right policies for you with this
webinar.