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Note: This website is intended to provide general information about legal issues, crop insurance, farm policy, and other risk management issues and should not be construed as providing legal advice. It should not be cited or relied upon as legal authority. For advice about how the issues discussed here might apply to your individual situation, you should consult an attorney.
Welcome to the Maryland Risk Management Education Blog, provided by the University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. This blog provides readers with information on risk management issues important to Maryland agriculture, upcoming events, and new materials that may interest readers.
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Worried About Paying Your Workers? Consider the Paycheck Protection Program
By Sarah Everhart This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many business owners are concerned about not being able to continue to pay their employees. The recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) contains a forgivable loan program meant to provide employers the financial assistance they need to retain their workforce entitled the Paycheck Protection Program (th
Sarah Everhart
Apr 2, 20202 min read
Frequently Asked Questions: Paul, My Farm Dog Barks a Lot and the Neighbors Complain
Farm dog running under gate with cattle in background. Image by Chesapeake Bay Program This is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. I have gotten a few questions involving farm dogs here lately and thought I would take a moment to provide information here on the issues. If you have livestock, you may have a dog to scares away predators that might injure or kill the livestock. This dog may bark throughout the night, which may cause an
Paul Goeringer
Mar 31, 20203 min read
Maryland Department of Agriculture Provides Clarity on Social Distancing For Ag Related Businesses
By Sarah Everhart This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. In an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic the State of Maryland has in recent weeks announced many restrictions on public gatherings and the operation of certain non-essential businesses. The various restrictions, unfortunately, caused confusion related to the operation of certain agriculture-related businesses. In an effort to clarify how the rest
Sarah Everhart
Mar 24, 20202 min read
Where Are My Syngenta Settlement Payments? Checks Going Out by Summer 2020 (Hopefully)
A deer passes through a corn field by the Chesapeake Bay Program) The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Several of you continue to ask me when you might see checks from the Syngenta corn seed settlement. In late 2018, the court approved the settlement order for the $1.51 billion MIR162 Syngenta settlement. Based on the final order, payments to producers should have started going out in the second quarter of 2019, but this
Paul Goeringer
Mar 10, 20202 min read
Produce Growers- Have You Requested an On-Farm Readiness Review (OFFR)?
By Sarah Everhart This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Farmers who grow produce that is often consumed raw (e.g. berries, leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.) are likely covered by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule and are required to attend a Produce Safety Rule Training and take certain steps, including but not limited to, identifying and reducing food safety risks on the farm. Although
Sarah Everhart
Mar 3, 20202 min read
Beekeeping Qualifies As Agricultural Use For Maryland Property Tax Assessment
By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Maryland landowners with ten or more honeybee colonies per acre of land may now be eligible to receive an agricultural use tax assessment to lower their property taxes. In October, the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation exercised its discretion and revised its policy to include beekeeping as one of the agricultural use activities that may qualify a
Nicole Cook
Feb 25, 20202 min read
Federal Estate Tax and Gift Tax Limits Announced For 2020
Grain harvest by Chesapeake Bay Program This is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. In November 2019, the IRS announced the revised federal estate tax and gift tax limits for 2020. The federal estate tax limit rises from $11.4 million in 2019 to $11.58 million in 2020. The federal gift tax limit will remain at $15,000 in 2020. In Maryland, state estate tax limits will stay at $5 million. Federal Estate Taxes For 2020, the federal e
Paul Goeringer
Feb 18, 20203 min read
Do You Know How To Respond to an Unemployment Insurance Claim?
By Sarah Everhart See here for the site’s reposting policy. Although not all farm employers participate in the Maryland Unemployment Insurance program (check out this past post for farm exemption information) for those that do, it is likely that at some point a past employee will file for unemployment insurance benefits. The time frame for employers to respond to unemployment insurance claims is very tight and can get easily overlooked, especially if the notice comes in the
Sarah Everhart
Feb 11, 20204 min read
A New WOTUS
By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. There’s a new “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule. On January 23, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published the “Navigable Waters Protection Rule” defining the scope of water features that are federally regulated under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, or the “Clean Water Act” (CWA) as it is more commonly
Nicole Cook
Feb 4, 20206 min read
Maryland Court Rules Poultry Farm Manager Is Co-Employee of Integrator in Workers’ Compensation Case
Poultry house in Maryland. Image is by Edwin Remsberg. The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, in Uninsured Employers’ Fund v. Tyson Farms, Inc., recently agreed with the Workers’ Compensation Commission that a poultry farm manager’s occupational disease disablement arose out of his co-employment to both the poultry farm owner and the poultry company, Tyson Farms, Inc. Tyson may app
Paul Goeringer
Jan 28, 20205 min read
Hiring this Year? Avoid Legal Hiring Pitfalls
By Sarah Everhart The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. If you are planning on hiring workers for the farm this year you will likely need to create a job advertisement and interview applicants. Time spent crafting job descriptions and interviewing candidates provides valuable information to both the applicant and employer by communicating each other’s expectations. This post will outline some steps you can take to avoid
Sarah Everhart
Jan 21, 20203 min read
Top Developments in Ag Law in 2019
Hemp production at the Wye Research and Education Center. Image by Edwin Remsberg. The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. With 2019 about over and 2020 about to start, I want to take a minute to look back at the top legal developments impacting agriculture in 2019. A few of these legal developments may seem like repeats from my 2018 update; click here to see. Moving into 2020, new issues will emerge as continued lawsuits
Paul Goeringer
Jan 7, 20205 min read
Have You Taken The Food Safety Training You Need?
By Sarah Everhart The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. There will be several...
Sarah Everhart
Dec 17, 20192 min read
New Laws Continue to Support Agritourism in Maryland
By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Agritourism continues to be...
Nicole Cook
Dec 10, 20192 min read
New South Wales Passes Right-to-Farm Law and Enhanced Trespass Penalties
The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. The New South Wales (NSW) Parliament has...
Paul Goeringer
Dec 3, 20194 min read
Changes to the H-2A Visa Program
By Sarah Everhart The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Farm employers who hire...
Sarah Everhart
Nov 26, 20192 min read
FSMA Inspections Are Underway. Are You Ready?
By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Nearly 10 years after the...
Nicole Cook
Nov 19, 20193 min read
FSMA Produce Safety Rule- Updates, Upcoming Compliance Dates, and Winter Trainings
By Sarah Everhart The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. The Produce Safety Rule...
Sarah Everhart
Nov 5, 20193 min read
Baltimore City Food Truck Ordinance is Constitutional
The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Over the past few years, a food revolution...
Paul Goeringer
Oct 22, 20194 min read
Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference- Register Today!
By Sarah Everhart See here for the site’s reposting policy. The Conference, hosted by the Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI),...
Sarah Everhart
Oct 15, 20192 min read
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