Farm and Food Law: a Guide for Attorneys in the Legal Food
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Vermont Edition FARM & FOOD LAW: A GUIDE FOR LAWYERS IN THE LEGAL FOOD HUB United States Department of VERMONT LEGAL FOOD HUB Agriculture National Agricultural Library MARCH 2020 AUTHORS This guide was produced by the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School, in partnership with Conservation Law Foundation. The lead contributors to this report are Whitney Shields, Clinical Teaching Fellow, and Sophia Kruszewski, Assistant Professor of Law, Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors of the Vermont Edition are indebted to the authors of the previous Food & Farm editions prepared for Conservation Law Foundation: the Massachusetts Edition, authored by the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, the Maine Edition, authored by students at the University of Maine School of Law, and the Connecticut Edition, authored by the Ludwig Center for Community and Economic Development at Yale Law School. The following chapters draw substantially from the analogous chapters in those editions: Business Structures, Labor and Employment, Food Safety, Farm Transitions, Farmland Acquisition, and Intellectual Property. This guide would not have been possible without the assistance, cooperation, and production support of the following members of the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School: Laurie Beyranevand, Claire Child, Fran Miller, and Lihlani Nelson. We also extend our gratitude to Jess Phelps, for his review of and contributions to the Farm Transitions, Farmland Acquisition, and Land Regulations chapters, and to Annette Higby, for her review of and contributions to the Business Structure and Labor and Employment chapters. We also thank Miranda Page JD ’20 for her assistance with citations. This report was designed by Kelly Collar, Mad River Creative. This project is funded by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. CONTACT y For more information about the Legal Food Hub, visit www.legalfoodhub.org or email [email protected]. y For more information about the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, visit www.vermontlaw.edu/cafs. y For more information about Conservation Law Foundation, visit www.clf.org. DISCLAIMER This guide provides general legal information for educational purposes only. It is not meant to substitute, and should not be relied upon, for legal advice. Each business is unique and the information contained in this guide is specific to the time of publication. Accordingly, for legal advice, please consult an attorney licensed in your state. 2 | FARM & FOOD LAW: A GUIDE FOR LAWYERS IN THE LEGAL FOOD HUB TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..........................................................................................................................5 Chapter I: Vermont Farming and Local Food Economy ...............................................................9 • Geographic and Social Characteristics.............................................................................................................. 10 • Agricultural Products and Farming Practices ..................................................................................................... 14 • Marketing and Selling Agricultural Products ...................................................................................................... 16 Chapter II: Business Structure .............................................................................................20 • Business Structure Overview ............................................................................................................................ 21 • Common Farm Business Structures in Vermont and the United States ............................................................... 23 • Getting Context: Initial Questions to Ask the Farmer .......................................................................................... 23 • Major Factors in Evaluating Different Business Structures ................................................................................. 25 • Choosing a Business Structure .......................................................................................................................... 27 Chapter III: Labor and Employment .......................................................................................44 • Becoming an Employer ..................................................................................................................................... 45 • Worker Classification ........................................................................................................................................ 46 • Federal Employment Provisions......................................................................................................................... 52 • Vermont Employment Provisions ....................................................................................................................... 58 • Labor and Employment Best Practices .............................................................................................................. 59 Chapter IV: Food Safety .......................................................................................................62 • Food Safety Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 63 • The Food Safety Modernization Act ................................................................................................................... 64 • Other Food Safety Regimes ............................................................................................................................... 71 Chapter V: Intellectual Property ............................................................................................78 • Trademarks ...................................................................................................................................................... 79 • Copyrights ....................................................................................................................................................... 83 • Patents ............................................................................................................................................................. 86 • Trade Secrets ................................................................................................................................................... 88 Chapter VI: Farm Transitions ................................................................................................90 • Farm Transition Overview .................................................................................................................................. 91 • Getting Context: Some Initial Questions and Common Concerns ....................................................................... 93 3 | FARM & FOOD LAW: A GUIDE FOR LAWYERS IN THE LEGAL FOOD HUB • Farm Transition Challenges ............................................................................................................................... 98 • Mechanisms to Facilitate Farm Transitions ...................................................................................................... 103 Chapter VII: Farmland Acquisition ......................................................................................113 • Evaluating the Farmer’s Needs and Limitations .............................................................................................. 114 • Land Selection ............................................................................................................................................... 114 • Purchasing Farmland ...................................................................................................................................... 116 • Leasing Farmland ........................................................................................................................................... 118 Chapter VIII: Land Regulations ............................................................................................124 • Land Use and Development Law (Act 250) ..................................................................................................... 125 • Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Permitting ............................................................................... 127 • Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) ........................................................................................................... 127 • Accessory On-Farm Businesses (Act 143) ........................................................................................................ 128 • Universal Recycling Law (Act 148) .................................................................................................................. 129 • Hemp Production ........................................................................................................................................... 130 • Conservation Easements ................................................................................................................................. 130 • Use Value Appraisal Program (Current Use) ..................................................................................................... 131 4 | FARM & FOOD LAW: A GUIDE FOR LAWYERS IN THE LEGAL FOOD HUB INTRODUCTION AGRICULTURE IN VERMONT AND THROUGHOUT