Carbon markets (either voluntary or mandatory through government regulation) have emerged in recent years as a practical means to use free-market economic principles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate global climate change. In carbon markets, businesses or individuals who reduce greenhouse gas emissions ...Read More

In November 2018, California voters passed Proposition 12. This ballot initiative was pushed by animal rights extremists and seeks to regulate the production of pork, eggs, and veal throughout the United States (and beyond). This law has been subject to multiple court challenges over ...Read More

Constructing a new hog barn (or expanding an existing barn) in Minnesota requires pork producers to navigate a maze of requirements across several layers of government.  The facility may require a feedlot permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency or the county where the ...Read More

On April 26, 2018, a jury in North Carolina awarded a judgment against Murphy-Brown LLC (an affiliate of Smithfield Foods) for more than $50 million in a nuisance lawsuit arising from the operation of a hog confinement facility. This judgment was later reduced by ...Read More

Co-authored by Dean Zimmerli
Benjamin Franklin once stated that “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Planning is an integral part of every farming operation. Farmers must regularly engage in advance planning to determine the crops they will plant or livestock they ...Read More

Thomas Jefferson famously advised, “[n]ever spend your money before you have it.”  But as Mr. Jefferson (who was substantially indebted throughout much of his life) himself discovered, this advice is far easier for most people to give than to heed.  Recent studies indicate that ...Read More

The last issue of Pork Bits described air emission reporting requirements that were scheduled to become effective against farmers for the first time (as a result of a court ruling) and would have required many livestock farmers to report emissions of ammonia and hydrogen ...Read More

Many businesses, including many farm businesses, organize and operate their businesses through separate business entities (e.g., corporations or limited liability companies).  When properly structured, these entities can provide numerous management, succession, and liability protection benefits for farmers and other business owners.

But merely creating a ...Read More

One truth to both life and business is that issues will arise. While some can be planned for, others will rise up unexpectedly despite the most proactive of plans. However, including data protection as part of a comprehensive business plan may limit the disruption ...Read More

When Minnesota entrepreneurs are starting a company, it is important that they create a business plan. A good business plan can serve several purposes. It can help owners determine what their goals are and how to meet them, and a plan can also help ...Read More