New Resource Helps Farmers with Legal Side of Direct Marketing
Legal specialists at the Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI) developed the Legal Guide to Direct Farm Marketing to assist growers.
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Note: This website is intended to provide general information about legal issues, crop insurance, farm policy, and other risk management issues and should not be construed as providing legal advice. It should not be cited or relied upon as legal authority. For advice about how the issues discussed here might apply to your individual situation, you should consult an attorney.
Welcome to the Maryland Risk Management Education Blog, provided by the University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. This blog provides readers with information on risk management issues important to Maryland agriculture, upcoming events, and new materials that may interest readers.
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Nicole Cook
- Nov 24, 2020
- 2 min
Registration for MyFaRM Classes Extended
This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. December 8th is the new kickoff date for the new MyFaRM initiative. “MyFaRM” stands for Mastering Farm Risk Management. The MyFaRM program is free, and offers a series of classes covering all aspects of farm risk management, plus so much more! The MyFaRM program is an incredible opportunity for farmers on the Lower Eastern Shore to get comprehensive information and assistance in deve
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Nicole Cook
- Sep 22, 2020
- 3 min
New "MyFaRM" program offers free risk management education for farmers
This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. This November, a new initiative called “MyFaRM” (Mastering Farm Risk Management) will deliver free risk management education to farmers about how to develop risk management plans that address all 5 risk areas (financial, human, legal, marketing and production). Keep reading for more information about the program and how to sign up. The MyFaRM program will offer three “tracks” of lear
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Admin
- May 4, 2018
- 2 min
Weekly Roundup May 4th
By Sarah Fielder Why Precision Agriculture Will Change How Food Is Produced
Technology like drones, radio frequency (RF), autonomous tractors and IoT applications are playing a role in the transformation of agriculture. To read more about precision agriculture, go here: https://bit.ly/2FEjjaU. Jury Awards Neighbors of North Carolina Hog Farm $50 Million In Nuisance Case
A North Carolina jury on Thursday reached an unanimous verdict against pork producer Murphy-Brown LLC in
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Admin
- Jan 3, 2018
- 1 min
Crop Insurance Deadline Nears For Delaware and Maryland Potato Growers
Press Release The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds potato growers in Delaware and Maryland that the final date to apply for crop insurance coverage for the 2018 crop year is January 31, 2018. Current policyholders who wish to make changes to their existing policies also have until January 31 to do so. Federal crop insurance is critical to the farm safety net. It helps producers and owners manage revenue risks and strengthens the rural economy. Coverage for potatoes
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Admin
- Nov 3, 2017
- 4 min
Weekly Roundup Nov. 2nd
By Sarah Fielder New Federal Gift Exclusion and Lifetime Exclusion Amounts Announce for 2018
Recently IRS announced that the annual gift exclusion will be $15,000 per person and the lifetime exclusion amount will increase from $5.45 million in 2017 to $5.6 million in 2018. The annual gift exclusion allows a taxpayer to gift up to $15,000 per person taxfree and any amount over $15,000 would be subject to taxes. The lifetime exclusion allows a taxpayer to give up to $5.6 mill
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Admin
- Oct 27, 2017
- 2 min
Weekly Roundup Oct. 27th
By Sarah Fielder Monsanto Sues Arkansas Over Dicamba Restrictions
This week Monsanto sued the state of Arkansas to block potential summer restrictions to the use of new versions of dicamba recently developed by the Arkansas State Plant Board. Monsanto claims the decision has impacted their business in Arkansas. To learn more about the suit, click here http://reut.rs/2lbM35Y. New Publication Focused on Risk Management Tools Available
Mason Grahame and Paul Goeringer have re
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Admin
- Oct 20, 2017
- 2 min
Weekly Roundup Oct. 19th
By Sarah Fielder USDA Withdraws GIPSA Rule
This week USDA announced they would not finalize the proposed rules regarding the scope of the Farmer Fair Practices Rules of the Packers and Stockyards Act. The proposed rules had been controversial and would have expanded the scope of the Packers and Stockyards Act. To read more about this withdrawal, click here http://bit.ly/2gtrIri. EPA Moves To Restrict Dicamba
On October 13, the EPA agreed to adopt restrictions proposed by M
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Admin
- Jul 26, 2017
- 3 min
Insurance Coverage Considerations for Foodborne Illness Liability
By Alexander Belman Much can go wrong in the food business. Food can be contaminated at any point along the entire food distribution chain: from the farmer, to the distributor, to the end user including restaurants, grocery stores, and home cooks. Contaminated food can cause foodborne illnesses which can result in criminal liability (not the subject of this post) and civil legal liability. To read more about legal causes of action for foodborne illness related injuries, che
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Admin
- Jan 6, 2017
- 1 min
Farm Management Classes for Women
Press Release Annie’s Project courses have been announced for 2017! Courses will be held in Delaware and Maryland. Annie’s Project is a discussion-based workshop bringing women together to learn from experts in production, financial management, human resources, marketing and the legal field. Annie’s Project provides a relaxed, fun dynamic way to learn, grow and meet other women in agriculture. Participants are encouraged to interact and connect with presenters and fellow part
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- Jul 1, 2016
- 3 min
Weekly News Update: July 1st Edition
By Mayhah Suri Perdue Announces Animal Welfare Policy
Perdue Foods, one of the nation’s largest poultry producers, announced a precedent-setting commitment to improving animal welfare by issuing new requirements for its poultry facilities. Citing the “five freedoms,” a set of ethical imperatives for farmed animal welfare, the 2016 and Beyond: Next Generation of Perdue Commitments to Animal Care outlines the company’s efforts to implement on-farm improvements, such as environm
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Paul Goeringer
- Jan 27, 2015
- 7 min
2014 Farm Bill Makes Changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) was established in 1994 and administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). NAP is a risk management tool for those producers growing crops not currently covered by a crop insurance product. The 2014 Farm Bill reauthorized NAP and made some dramatic changes to the program. NAP now offers coverage from the 50-percent level to the 65-percent level with producers able to buy-up coverage in 5-percent increments at up to 1
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Paul Goeringer
- Dec 14, 2014
- 3 min
2015 Corn And Soybeans Trend-Adjustments Released For Trend-Adjusted APH Crop Insurance Revenue and
I post about law a lot, but another portion of my job is to work with Howard Leathers on our crop insurance education partnership program with USDA’s Risk Management Agency and the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Back in August, we released an updated version of the Trend Adjusted Yield Crop Insurance Option fact sheet, reflecting the 2015 crop year trend-adjustment (TA) factors for wheat. RMA has recently updated the soybean and corn TA factors, which remained the same
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Paul Goeringer
- Sep 4, 2014
- 2 min
A Look at Business Organization Structures: Sole Proprietorship
This post should not be relied upon as legal advice. Just the other day, I posted on the use of business organization structures by Maryland producers and the fact that the vast majority has not adopted any form of business structure to help limit their liability (see previous post). Today as promised, Ashley and I start a series of blog posts on business organization structures. Adoption of a business model will depend on many factors — tax, personal, financial, etc — and
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Paul Goeringer
- Aug 20, 2014
- 1 min
Website Dedicated to 2014 Farm Bill Information Now Available Online
The 2014 farm bill created new commodity programs, created new crop insurance products, and streamlined many of the conservation programs. Maryland farmers will have many questions over the new FSA programs, crop insurance programs, and other eligibility rules. The University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, along with Maryland Department of Agriculture and USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Risk Management Agency have developed a website to
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Paul Goeringer
- Jul 10, 2014
- 2 min
Farm Bill Workshops Planned for August in Maryland
Workshops Address Upcoming Changes for Dairy and Grain Producers in 2014 Farm Bill Programs ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 3, 2014) – The 2014 Farm Bill will bring changes for dairy and grain farmers in Maryland. Farmers are encouraged to participate in a series of workshops to be held across the state in August to prepare for decisions they will need to make to participate in 2014 Farm Bill programs. The workshops are sponsored by the University of Maryland’s Department of Agricultura
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