The Legal Guide to the Business of Farming in Vermont was a project funded by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education and the USDA Risk Management Association. It was written by Randolph attorney Annette Higby and several other professionals. Project coordination was provided by Debra Heleba, University of Vermont Extension (formerly a staff member of the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture).
The Guide consists of nine chapters addressing: the legal structure of the farm business; farm transfer and estate planning; farmland tenure and leasing; and regulation of agriculture and land use, farm labor, organic agriculture, and on-farm food processing and marketing. It got its roots from The Legal Terrain section of "Tilling the Soil of Opportunity," a business planning course for farmers. Questions posed by Tilling participants informed an initial outline prepared by Attorney Higby and eventually formed the core of the guide's contents.
The Guide was is intended to be used as a reference tool that can be used by service providers to develop case specific checklists and to identify areas that need additional research or technical assistance. We hope that farmers and "Tilling the Soil" participants will find the guide useful too.
Farmers and service providers should not use this guide as a substitute for legal advice. Instead, it is a useful resource when developing a list of questions for an attorney, accountant, or farm service provider. Farmers may also use it to identify and address issues that need to be included in the farm's business plan or to become better informed consumers of legal or farm viability services.
The Guide is provided in a PDF format on-line at no cost and is available in hard copy for a modest fee.
Click here for an order form for hard copy.
Click here to access the Legal Guide in its entirety.