Botanical Basics

State-Specific

Botanical Regulations

Diversification Questions:

Jam, pickles, and dried herbs, oh my!

Venturing into value-added food products can help increase farm business profitability. However, it can also increase the number of rules and regulations you have to comply with. Check out our free resource, Value-added Product Legal Basics, for quick guidance on some of the most commonly asked questions about value-added considerations, from a legal lens. Because value-added good production is not farming (although it is related!), farmers and ranchers will want to research their zoning code to see what the code has to say about building a food processing facility or converting a barn into a kitchen on the farm. For guidance on (a) how to research your zoning code and (b) how to move forward concerning a zoning code challenge, read Strategies for Navigating Zoning Codes and Challenges.

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If you are considering an agritourism venture, that’s great and very exciting! But, before you launch your farm pizza series or advertise for goat yoga, check out our free Agritourism Legal Basics, which provides you with some of the basic things you should consider, from a legal angle. The tip sheet provides quick but helpful information on zoning ordinances, employee wages and workers’ compensation requirements, tax reporting and accounting, liability for injuries at farm events, and sales tax and disability accommodation requirements.

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Diversifying your farm operation can be a great move for farm profitability. However, as soon as you invite folks onto the farm for Harvest Day or sell jars of your homegrown pickles, things can also get a little complicated. One of these complications is taxes. Nobody likes taxes, and this isn’t meant to stress you out. We have a couple resources to make taxes for your diversified operation less painful. Check out our free resource, Diversification and Taxes Basics, for basic information. For more information, you can also check out pages 23-25 for tax information in Farmers’ Legal Guide to Value-Added Products.

Working with regulators is essential to farm diversification.

Diversifying your farm operation by adding farm pizza night or goat yoga can be a great move for your business, financially and otherwise. But, it can also mean the additional headache of having to deal with more regulations, and with those regulations come…You guessed it – regulators. Regulators help determine how local, state, and federal regulations apply to your farm specifically… whether you’re asking for permission or begging for forgiveness.

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If you’re scratching your head wondering, “What in the world are Cottage Food Laws?” and picturing people in the 1800s rolling out dough and cooking soup in giant cauldrons over a wood burning stove, you’re not alone. Cottage food laws sound quaint and cute but in reality, they refer to the different laws each state has (or doesn’t have) regarding when people can make food in their home kitchens for sale to others without the usual, thorough rules that accompany each state’s food code. This is a changing landscape, with many people pushing for “Food Freedom Laws” and getting up to speed on these laws can be a real challenge.

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Explore More Products Resources:

Guiding Resilience: A Legal Workshop for Ag Service Providers, Fall 2025

This five-week workshop empowers ag service providers in guiding
farmers and ranchers towards legal resiliency.
Join us in learning the 10 best practices of farm legal risk management.

Live sessions meet at 12 pm CDT on 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, and  10/14

Guiding Resilience: A Legal Workshop for Ag Service Providers, Fall 2025

This five-week workshop empowers ag service providers in guiding
farmers and ranchers towards legal resiliency.
Join us in learning the 10 best practices of farm legal risk management.

Live sessions meet at 12 pm CDT on 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, and  10/14