Agriculture

As one of the largest industries across the Midwest, agriculture is witnessing its fastest growth in decades. With expanding farms and workforces, evolving regulatory requirements and increasing public scrutiny, the industry faces great opportunities and challenges. We regularly work with industry stakeholders to help them benefit from growth, take advantage of tax incentives, respond to regulatory inquiries, and defend antitrust, consumer protection and environmental claims. Partnering with small, family-owned farming operations as well as major food, dairy and cattle producers, we help our clients leverage business opportunities and navigate the complex legal and regulatory landscape.

Our attorneys recognize that staying ahead in one of the most competitive industries doesn’t just take skill — it takes creativity, ingenuity and flexibility, coupled with sound judgment and steady leadership. We understand the route from farm to fork, and how difficult that road can be to travel. We continuously monitor the issues influencing the agriculture industry, enabling us to tailor our legal guidance to meet our clients’ business objectives, often within limited time constraints. We understand the numerous variables impacting daily operations — from climate fluctuations to changing consumer preferences and labor shortages — and we take pride in navigating the best routes for our clients’ businesses.

We reach across 30 services to combine regulatory, labor, transactional and — when necessary — litigation experience to discern the best course of action. Our agriculture matters include:

  • Antitrust claims
  • Customer, vendor, distributor and supplier agreements
  • Capper Volstead Act of 1922
  • Cooperative Marketing Act of 1926
  • Environmental compliance, including National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and Ohio Water Pollution Code
  • Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) compliance
  • Financial reporting and tax matters
  • Food Safety Modernization Act
  • Federal agency inquiries
  • Intellectual property protection, including trademarks and copyrights
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) claims
  • Packers and Stockyard Act, and associated regulations
  • Product liability claims
  • Transactional matters, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances among competitors and security issuances
  • Unionization or workforce concerns
  • Workers’ protection and compensation matters
  • Unmanned and autonomous systems (Drones and driverless vehicles)