Spring into Legal Power Weeks

Boost the legal strength of your farm or ranch.

Are legal risks, questions, fears, or confusion weighing you down? Whether you are a beginning farmer and rancher or more experienced, navigating farm law issues can be overwhelming and frustrating. Gain peace of mind and boost the legal strength of your farm or ranch through our FREE, six-week (March 4 – April 15, 2024), Spring into Legal Power Weeks.

Refine your business structure choices, find clarity for getting optimal auto and property insurance, determine whether crop & livestock insurance is right for your farm, gain confidence in negotiating an agricultural lease, discover insights on due diligence and zoning before leasing or purchasing land, deepen your understanding of what it takes to comply with FSMA and more!

Every Monday between March 4 – April 15, 2024, we’ll update this page to feature a popular legal topic with 1-2 FREE resources. Free access is available for a limited time, so don’t hesitate to check these resources out now!

Have questions? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to our team via email at: info@farmcommons.org with the subject line: Spring Into Legal Power Weeks.

*****BONUS OFFER*****

We appreciate your feedback! Fill out the short survey at the end of each free resource, and you will receive a free downloadable copy of our most popular resource: Farmer’s Guide to Business Structures. This in-depth resource covers business structure options for your farm or ranch and tips for how to implement them; includes checklists and sample governance documents (e.g., operating agreement for LLC, bylaws for corporation).

Missed our Spring into Legal Power Weeks? No worries! For a limited time only, you can still access our featured resources for FREE. Here’s what we have on deck.

Business Structures

Do you fear you’ll have a falling out with your business partner(s)? Do you worry you’ll add legal or financial risks if you expand your farm operation? If so, this week’s resources are for you:

Farmers’ Workbook for Creating a Governance Document: Outlines 8 interactive steps for getting on the same page with your business partner(s) on key issues and guides you in creating a governance document to maximize legal resilience.
Farmers’ Workbook for Deciding on a Second Business Structure: Offers insights on whether forming an additional business structure is right for your expanding farm operation and includes concrete action steps for going forth.

Property and Auto Insurance

Does thinking about property and auto insurance for your farm make your head spin? When it comes to insurance, it’s easy to get stuck in the weeds of so many options, details, and doubts. You’re not alone! Our new resources offer you a path toward finding clarity in the murky land of insurance.

Farm Property Insurance Basics. Gain essential tips for getting optimal insurance coverage for buildings, equipment, vehicles, and supplies that enable day-to-day operations.
Farm Auto Insurance Options: Explore three types of auto insurance that can help keep your business running smoothly if and when a vehicle is damaged or involved in an accident.

Crop and Livestock Insurance

Do you worry about crop or livestock losses from weather or disease? Do you wonder whether the Whole Farm Revenue Protection crop and livestock insurance plan is a good fit for your operation? Do you want to learn more about the new Micro Farm Option? Discover how to move forward in securing the right coverage for you through this week’s featured resource:

Crop and Livestock Insurance Options for Diversified Operations. Assess whether the Whole Farm Revenue Protection crop and livestock insurance plan– including the Micro Farm Option– is right for your operation.

Leasing Land

Are you considering an agricultural lease now or in the future? Are you feeling intimidated or uneasy about the negotiation process? Whether you’re a farmer or landowner, this week’s resource will help you address key issues of an agricultural lease from the get-go.

Powerful Questions to Prepare for an Agricultural Lease. Negotiate an optimal agricultural lease agreement by going through this checklist of 41 key questions to discuss with your landlord or farm tenant.

Due Diligence and Zoning

Are you about to lease or purchase land? Do you worry if easements, boundary disputes, or zoning prohibitions will interfere with your vision for the land? Or, perhaps you haven’t thought much about it? Either way, we’ve got you covered. This week’s resources will guide you through the due diligence process, including navigating the zoning code.

Basics of Due Diligence on an Agricultural Parcel. Get started investigating a parcel of land by going through these five questions to guide your due diligence process.
Strategies for Navigating Zoning Codes and Challenges. Assess whether the activities you want to pursue are permitted on a specific parcel of land–and learn strategies for dealing with ambiguities–by following this step-by-step approach to interpreting your zoning code.

FSMA Compliance

Are you lost in the FSMA maze? Do you get stuck in FSMA buzzwords such as “primary production farm” “secondary activities farm” “farm mixed-type facility” or “qualified facility?” This week’s resource will demystify these terms and help you determine compliance!

FSMA Compliance Flowchart: Use this detailed flowchart to determine if your farm must comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules.

Don’t forget to complete the short survey after reading to receive your BONUS free PDF!!