Conferences
Managing Risk: New Farmers and New Markets
Mayhah Suri
Summary
This presentation will highlight legal and business risk management programs conducted by the Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI). The programs focused on community-supported agriculture (CSA) contracts and business organization plans, both with an emphasis on how to manage legal risk in a new market and/or as a new farmer. ALEI developed educational programming to provide farmers with clearer risk communication methods, including a model membership agreement. When asked to evaluate the program, a majority of participants reported using the ideas from the contract, if not the contract in full. ALEI is currently conducting an ongoing series of workshops and other outreach methods to educate both new and experienced farmers about the importance of choosing a farm business structure, such a LLC, general partnership, etc., to reduce personal and financial risk and ease transitions. These programs were relevant for new farmers and farmers transitioning to new markets since mitigating legal and personal risk is crucial to long-term success of a farm business. It is also highly relevant to farmers transitioning the business to a new generation as structuring the business can ease the transition process. Conference attendees may use similar programs to connect with farmers in different stages of their careers and families looking to add new ventures or transition the business to a different operator.
Details
| Conference | 2017 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference |
| Presentation Type | 30-Minute Concurrent |