Leading issues surrounding agriculture and the environment.
The Schroeder Ag Blog addresses issues facing farmers, ranchers, and businesses involved with crops, livestock, dairy, and meat production.
The Illinois legislature has introduced a number of bills directed at the food and agriculture industries. Most of these proposed bills are intended to make life easier for agriculture. This post provides a rundown on the bills which could affect Illinois livestock, cottage food industries, fields, farmers markets, or agricultural businesses.
Read MoreThis is NOT a blog post about what presidential candidate deserves your vote. This IS a blog post that explains where the presidential candidates stand on issues related to agriculture.
Read MoreTechnology is already on on the farm, but during the next decade, farmers will likely embrace ag tech like never before. Sustainability will increasingly drive technology use.
Read MoreThe Obama administration announced new overtime rules effective December 1, 2016. In the past, farmers generally have assumed they did not need to worry about overtime rules because of the federal agriculture exemption. This still holds true for the most part, but farms and businesses should understand how the agriculture exemption works and what the new overtime rules mean for a farm.
Read MorePesticide drift is the unintentional application of pesticide or herbicide. Pesticide drift can become a problem if the pesticide contacts an area or crop susceptible to the particular substance being used. There are several steps a farmer can take to prevent pesticide drift, and steps to be taken after pesticide drift allegedly already has occurred.
Read MoreProgressive discipline attempts to address and correct an employee’s work performance by providing feedback through a series of increasingly formal steps. Large and small employers can use this method to increase employee productivity and minimize legal exposure for wrongful termination.
Read MoreSales agreements are everywhere. We enter into them to purchase just about everything. There are online agreements to click through, prefilled generic forms to sign, and custom agreements put together specifically for the sale at hand. Some purchases are made according to “adhesion contracts”—either the buyer signs the form contract offered by the seller, or she doesn’t make the purchase. Some agreements are still made on a handshake basis, despite the pitfalls accompanying an oral contract. In any agreement, both parties—buyer and seller—should enter the contract with their eyes wide open. Signing a contract without reading it can lead to major consequences down the road.
Read MoreCraft beers are more popular today than ever before. The demand for hops is high, but most production occurs in the Pacific Northwest. Due to rising prices and a focus on local ingredients, Midwestern farmers are trying their hand at growing hops. Starting a hops farm here in the Midwest has big potential payoffs, but the costs can be significant. Farmers should make plans for the hardware, labor, and legal requirements to enter this growing agricultural market.
Read MoreWe are seeing a changing workforce in today's agriculture. More women have ownership roles in our farms and processing companies. Farms and agribusinesses should be aware of the employment laws that apply to them and should actively manage their workforce to maximize potential and minimize legal liability.
Read MoreA stroll down the egg aisle at any grocery store blasts the eyes with seemingly endless options. Cage free! Vegetarian fed! Free range! Brown eggs! Pasture grown! Organic! What's a consumer to do? This post examines what cage free means.
Read MoreThe recent normalization of relations between the US and Cuba presents tech opportunities for US companies ready to export products, services, and know how.
Read MoreUnited States and Cuba officials are wrapping up an historic set of meetings in Havana that will lead to increased economic opportunity for agricultural producers in both countries.
Read MoreHornless dairy cattle, mosquitoes resistant to malaria, mice cured of muscular dystrophy, PRRS-resistant pigs, fast-growing salmon, livestock that require less food and have less of an environmental footprint—these are just a few examples of advantages created by the new technological tool known as gene editing.
Read MoreHere are the top three issues I heard about at the ABA’s SEER conference in Washington DC that could impact agriculture in 2026.
Janzen Schroeder Agricultural Law LLC / 8425 Keystone Crossing Ste. 111, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240 / 317.855.9920 / Disclaimer / Terms / Privacy Policy
How will courts determine the “intent” of the drafter when AI becomes the author of contracts?