Food and Agricultural Law Blog

Running an agribusiness today is both exciting and complex. Whether you’re operating a fertilizer company, an ag-tech startup, a feed mill, or a family-owned food processing plant, growth brings opportunity and legal challenges. Vendor contracts, employee handbooks, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, and expansion plans all require legal oversight. But most small and mid-size agribusinesses cannot justify hiring a full-time, in-house ... Read More The post The Smart Way for Agribusinesses to Manage Legal Risk: Outsourced General Counsel appeared first on Rincker Law, PLLC.

Running a family farm today involves far more than planting crops and raising livestock. Illinois farmers are expected to manage land, negotiate leases, comply with ever-changing regulations, and make sound business decisions — often while juggling multi-generational family dynamics. When unexpected legal issues arise, many farmers scramble to find help, only to be left with expensive hourly bills or lawyers ... Read More The post Why Illinois Farm Families Need Outsourced General Counsel: Protecting Land, Legacy, and Business appeared first on Rincker Law, PLLC.

Divorce is never easy, but when farmland, equipment, and agricultural businesses are involved, the process becomes even more complicated. The family farm is not just an asset—it’s a home, a livelihood, and often a legacy passed down through generations. In this article, Dividing the Family Farm in an Illinois Divorce: What Every Farmer Should Know, we share how Illinois courts ... Read More The post Dividing the Family Farm in an Illinois Divorce: What Every Farmer Should Know appeared first on Rincker Law, PLLC.

Farming and ranching is more than just a livelihood; it is about preserving a legacy and a way of life. Unfortunately, many farmers and ranchers fail to create a comprehensive estate plan—or any estate plan at all. Without a proper estate plan, the family farm or ranch, passed down for generations, can end up being sold and converted to nonagricultural ... Read More The post Three Estate Planning Mistakes Farmers and Ranchers Make—and How to Avoid Them appeared first on Rincker Law, PLLC.

What if I add my child (who also works on the farm) to the deed for the land and the title to the equipment? Will that automatically transfer the land and equipment to my child when I die, avoiding probate? While some types of joint ownership cause the surviving owner to receive 100 percent of the ownership upon the passing ... Read More The post Ask Cari: Should You Add Your Child to the Farm Deed? appeared first on Rincker Law, PLLC.