Winter Farm Law Education Series Starts Dec 15th

Ahh the winter… a time for farmers to kick back, relax, and catch up on all that reading that they missed over the season. Right? Ha!  For many farmers, this is the time that they relocate from the fields to their desks to plan, learn, and strategize.

This winter, Farm Commons has eight new tutorials in our Farm Law Education Series as well as eight roundtable sessions all designed to help you build a strong and resilient farm business.

Also new this year – you can sign up for all the online events you want at the same time on our new and improved website! All you need is to create a free account – watch our short video or blog post if you have any trouble.

First, let’s talk terminology:

Tutorial – our updated version of the webinars that you already know and love (and if you aren’t already familiar, check out last year’s recorded webinars, which are still available for free on our website. Tutorials focus on the basics you need to understand and apply the law to your farm business. They include farmer stories, practical tips, and an overview of the topic at hand.

Roundtable ­– We are introducing a new component to our tutorial series. For this first time ever, tutorial participants have the opportunity to follow up one week after our live tutorials with solutions-based, interactive roundtable sessions. These sessions will be deep dives into the topics, and you must attend the corresponding tutorial in order to participate. You can find more information about roundtables at the bottom of this post.  Webinars are Free and Roundtables are $25 each.

2015/16 Education Series:

* Introduction to Sustainable Farm Law

* Insurance for the Farm: Policies and Principles to Efficiently Manage Risk

* Insurance and Risk Management Roundtable: Evaluateand Share Money-Wise Solutions and Strategies

* The What, Why and How of Choosing and Organizing a Business Entity for the Farm

* LLC and General Partnership Roundtable: Explore Ways to Make Your Organizing Documents Uphold Your Farm’s Aspirations

* Building a Legally Sound Intern and Volunteer Program for Farm Work

* Interns and Volunteers Roundtable: Explore andShare Opportunities for Creating a Vibrant and Legal Internship Program

* Food Safety Liability and Regulations: FSMA and Beyond

* Food Safety Roundtable: Join Forces to StrategizeBest Ways to Comply with FSMA and Reduce Food Safety Liability Risks

* Sales 1: Availability, Invoicing and Dispute Resolution with Food Buyers

* Sales I Roundtable: Examine and Practice the InsideArt of Negotiating Sales Agreements

* Sales 2: Contracts for Planning Ahead of Production

* Sales II Roundtable: Cultivate and BrainstormTechniques and Tactics to Cultivate Success in Production Services

** Bonus roundtable session: Financing Farmland Roundtable: Discover and Reveal Creative Options for Purchasing Land

Find out dates, detailed descriptions, and register for all online events here. Registration is FREE

So what exactly is a roundtable session?

Roundtables will focus on actionable components of the tutorial subjects and help you come up with creative solutions for your farm business. Our practical approach is geared towards giving you the tools and guidance you need to take action on the foundation of knowledge you’ve built from the tutorials and other free resources that Farm Commons provides. These advanced sessions will use collaborative learning facilitated by experts to help you work through paperwork, develop creative solutions to problems you’re facing, and answer any questions that came up during or following the tutorials. The exact content of the sessions will tailored to the specific needs and preferences of the registrants, so you can be assured that these sessions will be useful and relevant to you and your farm business. After you’ve registered for the corresponding tutorial, we will send you more information about the roundtable session.

Registration is $25 and it's simple to sign up at our website. Each roundtable is limited to 10 participants, so sign up soon to guarantee your spot. If cost is a barrier, ask us about scholarship opportunities.