The first Farm Bill was passed in 1933 and is a policy-focused piece of legislation that is up for debate and renewal in five-year cycles. In the past eighty-four years of Farm Bills, new ideas in agriculture have been established as American public policy via the Farm Bill. These new ideas include subsidized commodity crops, … Continue reading What is the Farm Bill?
Tonight I had the privilege of attending the 3rdFood Innovation Fellows graduation and hearing about amazing work being done in the Metro Atlanta area to make nutritious and mindfully grown local food available in our neighborhoods. Food Well Alliance partners with the Center for Civic Innovation to support local food entrepreneurs with the tools necessary … Continue reading Celebrating Metro Atlanta Local Food Entrepreneurs
There are a few options for saving on taxes in Georgia if you own land and farm. These savings can also be leveraged to [possibly] negotiate [long term] farm leases with landowners who are not using their land for anything else in the foreseeable future. These tools can be leveraged to encourage wise, productive stewardship … Continue reading Have Land? Want savings?
During an episode of The Law Farm podcast, Grow with the Flow, LLC mentioned selling live plants and the subsequent required licensing. Thus, there is no better time than the present to go over the basics of Georgia’s live plant licensing goals and requirements. The goal of licensing live plant sales is to prevent the … Continue reading Vegetable Transplants: Selling live plants in Georgia
Farmcommons.org Farm Commons is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening local food systems by providing free legal resources to farmers. Registration provides access to tons of free information about navigating legal issues affecting farmers and local food systems. Access to the resources will still require a “check out” process, but it is free of charge. … Continue reading Farm Law Resources to Keep an Eye on: Farm Commons
Understanding The Bill Emerson Act (“the Act”) allows non-profits, farmers, and other partners to creatively combat hunger and food waste issues in our communities. The Act removes civil and criminal liability in certain instances of food donation. The Act set a baseline minimum protection from liability, and it is important to bear in mind the … Continue reading The Bill Emerson Act: Reducing liability to encourage food donation
Pause: "Boilerplate Terms" refers to the language in contracts that is often routine, preprinted, included without much thought, and may add frustration in understanding the point of an agreement. Legal agreement documents all around us. From insurance policies to software agreements to leases, it is nearly impossible to avoid documents ruling what we can and … Continue reading What does a law firm have to do with my farm? Boilerplate Terms, etc
Backyard birds and small homestead flocks are cropping up in the metro area, and Georgia has always been infamous for its participation in chicken farming. Selling eggs in Georgia requires careful attention to a number of regulations. Note: This post focuses on Georgia law and does not cover federal regulations that may be applicable in … Continue reading Georgia Eggs: Selling to Restaurants
Backyard birds and small homestead flocks are cropping up in the metro area, and Georgia has always been infamous for its participation in chicken farming. Selling eggs in Georgia requires careful attention to a number of regulations. Note: This post focuses on Georgia law and does not cover federal regulations that may be applicable in … Continue reading Georgia Eggs: Selling to household consumers
Recent discussion with another food system attorney led to the inquiry of what “sustainable agriculture” really means because the phrase was almost completely dismissed in the conversation for lack of definition. The phrase seemed to hold many meanings and frustrated the ability to communicate agricultural goals. There are many ways to work toward building “sustainable … Continue reading Sustainable Agriculture Defined. Kind of.
Entrepreneurs and pioneers in local food systems enterprise sometimes find themselves stuck when they realize they can’t do it all by themselves. Realizing that there may be a partner who can help creates a ripe platform for discussing relationships and how they can positively influence a changing food system landscape. Individuals and businesses can work … Continue reading When you can’t do it all alone
