Workshops, Trainings, Events

Upcoming

 

Legal Food Hub Winter Webinar Series

Tuesday, February 5, 12:00 PM EST: Words Matter: Protecting Your Trademarks and Copyrights. Mary Rose Scozzafava, CLF Senior Fellow, former Partner, WilmerHale.

Find out what you can do to protect your market brand and avoid problems with others. This webinar will walk through choosing and registering your business name as a trademark, and provide tips on avoiding pitfalls and protecting your IP on your website.

Watch the recording here.

Tuesday, February 26, 12:00 PM EST: Entity Governance for Nonprofits. Transactional Law Clinics of Harvard Law School. Register here.

Although being involved with a non-profit organization can be very fulfilling, both personally and professionally, the law and best practices regarding its governance can be confusing. This webinar provides a brief introduction to non-profit and charitable organizations, and addresses the duties and responsibilities for running such an organization including the role of the Board, management and ongoing state and federal filing responsibilities.

Wednesday, February 27, 12:00 PM EST: Selected topics from the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. Sumana Chintapalli, Attorney, Law Office of Sumana Chintapalli, LLC and Lori Pivarnik, University of Rhode Island. Register here.

This webinar will provide a brief discussion of certain portions of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, touching on the basic framework, a few of the standards, and an overview of coverage and exemptions. This introductory conversation is a good starting point and an opportunity for those unfamiliar to become better acquainted with the Produce Safety Rule.

Tuesday, March 5, 12:00 PM EST: Legal Considerations of Agricultural Easements. Beth Boepple, BCM Environment and Land Law. Register here.

Tuesday, March 12, 12:00 PM EST: Employment Law for Farmers in Rhode Island. Erica Kyzmir-McKeon, CLF Senior Fellow & Attorney, and Gina A. DiCenso, Attorney at Law. Register here.

Understanding employment laws is essential to protect both farmers and their employees. This webinar gives an overview of common employment law issues, including how farmers must pay their employees, what time off employees are entitled to, and the legal distinctions between unpaid interns, registered apprentices, and volunteers.

Tuesday, March 19, 12:00 PM EST: Student Loan Basics for Farmers. Erica Kyzmir-McKeon, CLF Senior Fellow & Attorney, and Deanne Loonin, Attorney, Project on Predatory Student Lending at the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School. Register here.

Student loan debt has become a significant obstacle for young farmers who are trying to make a living in agriculture. This webinar discusses the different types of student loans and how borrowers can deal with them. Topics include managing repayment, avoiding or getting out of loan default, and loan cancellation.

 

 

2019 Harvest New England Ag Marketing Conference and Trade Show

February 27-28 at the Sturbridge Host Hotel, Sturbridge, MA

The Harvest New England Agricultural Marketing Conference and Trade Show is New England’s premier agricultural marketing conference. Sponsored by the six New England State Departments of Agriculture, this biennial conference began in 2007. This will be the seventh conference. With nearly 30 workshops, about 800 people in attendance, and a trade show of almost 100 exhibitors, this is New England’s largest agricultural conference solely dedicated to agricultural marketing.

Farmers of all types and sizes, new and established, from throughout New England, attend to enhance their marketing and business skills.

Keep an eye out for the Legal Food Hub table at the exhibitor section!

REGISTER HERE

Annual Local Food and Specialty Crop Trade Show, hosted by the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN)

March 5 at Northeastern University, Boston, MA

The 2019 Local Food Trade Show is designed to facilitate connections and stimulate business relationships between producers and wholesale buyers of local food, with a focus on specialty crop food products in Massachusetts.

The Legal Food Hub will be providing 1:1 Consultations with information on getting access to pro bono legal services through the Hub — be sure to register ahead of time for a slot!

REGISTER HERE

Past

2019

  • EVENT: January 15-17 – State of Maine Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta, ME
  • WORKSHOP: January 12 – Food Law 101 presented by attorney Rich Cavanaugh, at the 32nd NOFA/Mass Winter Conference, Worcester, MA
  • EVENT: January 11 – Rhode Island Food System Summit, University of Rhode Island, South Kingstown, RI
  • EVENT: January 7 – UConn Extension’s Vegetable and Small Fruit Growers’ Conference, South Windsor, CT

2018

  • EVENT: December 7 – Build Your Network Grow Our Future Conference at Auerfarm, Bloomfield, CT
  • EVENT: December 7 – Winter Gathering of the Greater Quabbin Food Alliance, Orange, MA
  • WORKSHOP: December 3 – Cooperative and Commons-Based Strategies for Land Access presented by attorney Carrie Green Yardley, at the Farmland Access and Transfer Conference cohosted by Land for Good & Maine Farmland Trust
  • EVENT: November 15 – Connecticut Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, North Haven, CT
  • WORKSHOP: October 18 – Hope & Main’s Food Resource Business Exchange (FReBE), Warren, Rhode Island
  • WORKSHOP: September 27 – Shared Use & Community Kitchens: Strengthening Communities Through Food Processing at Franklin County Community Development Corporation, Greenfield, MA
  • EVENT: September 21-23 – Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s Common Ground Country Fair, Unity, ME
  • WORKSHOP: September 8 – Intellectual Property for Business Entrepreneurs presented by attorney Lucy Lovrien, Hope & Main’s Business Bootcamp, Warren, Rhode Island
  • WORKSHOP: July 26 – New Entry Sustainable Farming Project Land Access Workshop for New Farmers, Lowell, MA
  • WEBINAR: May 31 – Employment Law for Massachusetts Farmers: Question and Answer Session
  • TRAINING: May 16 – Continuing Legal Education: Navigating IP Issued Faced by Farm and Food Businesses, Portland, ME
  • WORKSHOP: May 10 – Meet and Greet with Legal Food Hub at Rhode Island Farm Bureau
  • WORKSHOP: March 19 – Assessing Risks & Navigating Legal Issues Facing Farmers, Workshop, AgrAbility National Conference, Portland
  • WEBINAR: March 14 – Employment Law For Farmers
  • WORKSHOP: Feb. 25 – Employment Law for Farmers, SEMAP Annual Conference, Dighton, MA
  • WORKSHOP: Feb. 13 – Agricultural Labor & Employment Law, CISA Winter Workshop, Holyoke, MA
  • WORKSHOP: Jan. 18 – Legal Essentials for New Farmers, Greenbelt Essex County, Topsfield, MA
  • WORKSHOP: Jan. 13 – So You Think Your Apprenticeship is Legal?,  NOFA/Mass Conference, Worcester, MA
  • WORKSHOP: January 11 – Put Down Roots! Start to Plan and Write that Farm or Farmland Lease, Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta, ME

 

2017

  • WORKSHOP: December 4 – Farm Transfer and Succession: Getting Started Right, Workshop, Maine Farmland Trust Farmland Access Annual Conference, Augusta
  • WEBINAR: October 25 – Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Rule
  • WEBINAR: October 18 – Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls Rule
  • WEBINAR: September 14 – Navigating the Legal Challenges Faced by Farmers
  • WORKSHOP: June 22- Business Structures for Food Businesses, Salem Enterprise Center, Salem, MA
  • WORKSHOP: May 30 – Trademarks Workshop at Hope & Main
  • WORKSHOP: May 6 – Business Bootcamp at Hope & Main
  • TRAINING: May 5- CLE: Farm-to-Table & Food Safety, 2.5 CLE credits. Location: Preti Flaherty, One City Center, Portland, ME. Time: 1:00-3:30PM. Free for Legal Food Hub network attorneys, others $25. Please contact Phelps Turner at pturner@clf.org to register.
  • TRAINING: May 3-4- Professional Training for Farm Succession Advisors, The Falls Center, Manchester, NH. 12.5 CLE credits approved in Vermont and Maine, self-certification available in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Agenda is found here and registration is found here.
  • TRAINING: March 29- CLE on Labor and Employment Issues for Farm and Food Enterprises, Portland, ME. Space is limited- pre-register by March 27 by emailing rprice@clf.org with “March 29 CLE” in subject line.
  • WORKSHOP: March 11- Entrepreneur Bootcamp, Hope & Main, Warren, RI
  • WORKSHOP: March 9- Business Structures for Farms and Farmers’ Markets, Northeast Harvest Agricultural Marketing Conference and Trades Show, Sturbridge, MA
  • WORKSHOP: February 13, 6-8PM- Succession Workshop, hosted by Land For Good and American Farmland Trust, Kingston, RI
  • WORKSHOP: February 6, 6-9PM- Business Structures for Urban Farmers, Carrot Project’s Urban Agriculture Training Program, Roxbury, MA
  • WORKSHOP: February 8- Intellectual Property and Estate Planning for Farmers, Grafton, MA
  • WORKSHOP: March 4- Intellectual Property for Urban Farmers and Food Entrepreneurs, Urban Farming Conference, Boston, MA
  • WORKSHOP: January 4- Regulations Related to Your Farmer Operation, UMaine Regional Learning Center
  • WORKSHOP: January 11-12- Two days of programming at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta

2016

  • WORKSHOP: October 27, 8:30am-10:30am- Protecting Intellectual Property in the Food Business, Enterprise Center at Salem State, Salem, MA
  • WORKSHOP: November 6 (afternoon)- Employment Law, MOFGA Farmer to Farmer Conference, Northport, ME
  • TRAINING: May 6 – Luncheon at Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson (invitation only).
  • TRAINING: May 23 – Luncheon at Drummond, Woodsum (invitation only).
  • WORKSHOP CLE: May 10 – Presentation at Gignoux Inn of Court (invitation only).
  • TRAINING: May 12 – Perkins, Thompson (invitation only).
  • TRAINING: March 21 – Luncheon at Pierce Atwood (invitation only).
  • WORKSHOP: March 12 – One on one sessions with Legal Food Hub attorneys. Urban Farming Conference, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
  • WORKSHOP: January 31 – Employment Law, Maine Federation of Farmers Markets, Maple Farm Inn, Hallowell, ME
  • WORKSHOP: January 13-14 – Two-day legal workshop for farmers, Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, ME
  • Wednesday, January 13
    • 10-10:55 a.m. – Legal Considerations Essential for Running a Successful Farm Business
    • 11-11:55 a.m. – Food Safety
    • 12-1 p.m. – One-on-one sessions
    • 1-1:55 p.m. – Intellectual Property
    • 2-2:55 p.m. – Legal Structure for Your Farm
    • 3-3:55 p.m. – Land Leasing and Purchasing
    • 4-4:55 p.m. – Employment Law
  • Thursday, January 14
    • 9-9:55 a.m. – Farm Protection and Transition
    • 10-10:55 a.m. – Employment Law
    • 11-11:55 a.m. – Legal Structure for Your Farm
    • 12-1 p.m. – One-on-one sessions
    • 1-1:55 p.m. – Legal Considerations Essential for Running a Successful Farm Business

2015

  • EVENT: December 10, 5:30-6:30 p.m. – Hub Attorney Appreciation and Networking, Maine Mead Works, Portland, ME
  • EVENT: November 21-22 – Farm, Fish, and Food Innovation Challenge, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME
  • WORKSHOP: November 8 – Choosing the Right Business Entity for Your Farm, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) Farmer to Farmer Conference, Point Lookout Resort, Northport, ME
  • EVENT: October 22 – Pierce Atwood attorney networking, Portland, ME
  • WORKSHOP: October 6 – How To Choose a Business Structure, Purdue Extension, Webinar
  • WORKSHOP: September 26 – Farm Labor Law, Common Ground Country Fair, Unity, ME
  • WORKSHOP: August 20 – Commercial Leases and Entity Formation, Commonwealth Kitchen, Boston, MA

 

Check our resource pages for farmers and food entrepreneurs and for attorneys.

Additional Resources: