Tracing Spinach from Field to Plate: FDA Issues Traceability Rule
Is eating spinach risky? Per the FDA, it is risky enough to necessitate tracking the life of a bag of spinach from field to fork. Farmers and food distributors will be required to participate in data collection at several stages of production to allow the FDA to trace the origin of fresh produce in the […]
Farms and the Gig Economy
Farmers often save on payroll by hiring independent contractors. But, if a worker is legally an employee, that farmer could face penalties, fines, back pay, and back taxes for misclassifying their worker. The already complex law defining an independent contractor has recently grown more complicated as rules shift with the changes in administrations. […]
A New Cooperative Governance Resource!
When forming a business, governance documents usually take a back seat. Governance documents are bylaws and operating agreements that spell out decision-making, how members or owners exit the business, and conflict resolution. Only when problems arise do owners usually realize the value of a through governance document. There are many good resources for writing governance […]
Keyboard Warriors Learn Farmers are a Formidable Foe
Technology isn’t just impacting our ability to repair our equipment; it is also giving consumers a bullhorn platform for issuing opinions—good or bad—about products. False reviews blasted on social media can have steep consequences for businesses. A recent case in Minnesota illustrates it can have steep consequences for the reviewer, too. In this case, a […]
Farmers & Technology: A Long Fight for the Right to Repair
Farmers are an important voice in the international fight for the “right to repair.” Due to the increased computerization of everything from our microwaves to our cars, there’s a rising tide against “smart” technology that makes it near impossible for consumers to repair their tools without the help of the company that manufactured […]
Insurers As Regulators: A New Era in Food Safety?
For Food Safety Education Awareness month, we look at ways the liability insurance industry is making its mark on fresh produce food safety. We know regulators can influence farms to adopt specific practices. Now, we’re also seeing insurance companies mandate specific practices. The outcomes can be good or bad, and farmers need the tools to […]
Strategic or Suspect? BIPOC Farmer Debt Relief Gets Erased
Emergency debt relief for farmers of color promised in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has been stalled since June 2021 and has now been entirely replaced with a race-neutral alternative in August’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This pathway avoids a mess of lawsuits but risks hollowing out the core objective of addressing past wrongs. […]
The Supreme Court Regulates the Regulators
The call to end “big government” got a boost from the Supreme Court this past June in the case West Virginia v. EPA. This case severely limits the tools EPA can use to control greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. In the future, the Court will likely apply the same reasoning to […]
Overtime for Range Workers: A New Frontier
Sheepherders are at the center of a labor law controversy in California that foreshadows the changing landscape of range work in the western US. Sheepherders are at the center of a labor law controversy in California that foreshadows the changing landscape of range work in the western US. Small sheep ranchers in California are now […]
Farm inspections by OSHA will now cover heat preparedness
Farmworkers are 20 times more likely to die from heat-related illnesses than other workers. Farmworkers are 20 times more likely to die from heat-related illnesses than other workers. For the first time, the federal government has given OSHA enforcement authority to try and address this disparity. This means that on days with heat advisories, OSHA […]