Insights

Case Law Update: Securing Grain Bins
At its September 9, 2021 Agricultural Lending Conference, Gislason & Hunter LLP provided a case law and legislative update regarding new legal developments pertinent to the lending industry. One of the cases presented was Lighthouse Management, Inc. v. Oberg Family Farms et al., which ...Read More

Enforceability Of A Lender’s Security Interest In A Borrower’s Machinery And Equipment
Over the last two years, the world has grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to address the economic crisis following the arrival of COVID-19, the United States took a number of significant actions, including, among other things, infusing cash into the national ...Read More

General Partnership: The Catch- All Relationship To Avoid
Here’s a common story: Farmer A gets a good deal on a neighboring farm that includes 16 acres of marginal hay ground in a low, wet area. Farmer A has no use for hay and no haying equipment. It’s been a dry spring with ...Read More

What Preserves the Integrity of the Derivatives Market?
Agricultural producers are no strangers to risk. They grow, buy, and sell commodities in a global economy subject to the unpredictability of floods, droughts, and trades disputes, the whims of governments and politicians, and the devastations caused by pandemics and disease. Many if not ...Read More

California’s Proposition 12: What Does It Mean and What Comes Next?
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

Choosing a Business Structure For Your Family Farm
Farming isn’t just a business, it’s a commitment to family values and a different way of life. You work hard to feed your family and others, raise your children, and earn a reasonable living at the same time. And if you’re reading this article, ...Read More

Farm Divorce: The Complex and Confounding Concept of the “Double Dip”
One of the most challenging concepts for many family law attorneys (and even some business valuation experts) is the “double dip.” The double dip issue arises in many divorces involving farms or small businesses and can have a substantial impact on the bottom line ...Read More

Marital Liens Can Help Resolve Farm Divorce Disputes
When Minnesota farmers divorce, often there are insufficient liquid assets to allow the non-farming spouse to be immediately paid in full for his or her fair share of the marital estate. When that happens, the non-farming spouse is often paid over a period of ...Read More

Dear Family Farm: Thank You
Quarantined in my cramped college apartment in the city, my mind drifts back to my considerably more spacious roots. I grew up on my family’s grass-fed beef farm, nearly 300 acres of lush, permanent pasture and preserved prairie and woodland in the drumlin region ...Read More

A Primer on Agricultural Loans to Aid in Maintaining the Farmer-Lender Relationship
When times are good, the farmer-lender relationship usually is positive or perhaps even an afterthought for most farmers. However, when times are tough, the relationship can quickly become strained, especially when there are misunderstandings about the legal obligations owed under the terms of the ...Read More