A new legal guide for N.H. farmers from UNH Cooperative Extension will help Granite State agricultural producers navigate questions about employment law, business structures, organic certification and other topics vital to agricultural businesses.
The 15-chapter guide covers legal questions commonly asked by farmers. Chapters include information on labor and employment law, tax laws, interstate commerce, business structures, laws about the sale of food, organic certification, milk regulations, animal health laws, meat and poultry processing rules, municipal laws and zoning regulations and more.
“We’re excited to complete this multi-year effort to assist New Hampshire farmers,” says Seth Wilner, an Extension food and agriculture field specialist. “Although the guide doesn’t cover all of the laws and regulations with which agricultural producers need to comply, the chapters represent common topics about which farmers frequently inquire.”
The Legal Guide for New Hampshire Agricultural Producers is available to view or download here.
The project was funded through a Northeast SARE Grant focused on building agricultural service providers’ skills to assist farmers with legal questions. The N.H. Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food, the N.H. Farm Bureau, Sullivan County Farm Bureau, and Farm Commons provided additional support for the guide. The lawyers at BCM Environmental & Land Law PPLC, led by Amy Manzelli, also were instrumental in creating the guide.
“We are extremely grateful to these organizations for their support,” Wilner says.
Contact Seth Wilner with questions about the guide: seth.wilner@unh.edu.
