Leopold Center - A farmer's guid to direct marketing

The Legal Guide for Direct Farm Marketing
Neil Hamilton
Drake University, 1999 235 pp. $20

As a Drake University agricultural law professor and member of the Leopold Center Advisory Board, Neil Hamilton is a fervent proponent of taking agricultural education to the fields. While many readers of this book will recognize him from his frequent and savvy musings in The Des Moines Register, Hamilton has aimed this effort toward direct-market-oriented farmers and/or their advisors.

Farming is obviously a business, but what might be understated at times is the fact that all business endeavors require a certain level of legal acumen. For those new to the world of direct farm marketing, Hamilton presents a valuable primer, pointing out opportunities and the accompanying "challenges" to be expected if one follows this alternative that cuts out the veritable "middleman."

What follows are questions on anything and everything involving the legal ramifications of going the direct farm marketing route. And the answers-not spoken in "legal-ese," readers will be relieved to discover-are presented as well. Issues of zoning, employee relations, insurance and medical law are among the many topics that Hamilton meticulously analyzes through the agricultural and legal microscope. For the farmer or producer who has read this thorough book and still needs to consult a legal professional, he provides various contacts.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program was wise to provide Hamilton a grant to assemble this complete volume. One only hopes that Hamilton will be encouraged to keep producing valuable resources for beginning and seasoned farmers alike. He takes the mystery and trepidation out of what might be unfamiliar terrain. --John Lane, Leopold Center