Farm Commons

Farm Commons

We explore real legal issues faced on farms every day, providing key knowledge and tangible solutions to help you grow a thriving agricultural business.

Episode 78: Addressing Disability Accommodations in a Farm Employee Manual
Farm Commons
Episode 78: Addressing Disability Accommodations in a Farm Employee Manual

Recent Episodes

78
May 22, 2025

Episode 78: Addressing Disability Accommodations in a Farm Employee Manual

In this episode, Eva and Chloe discuss why and how to set up a disability accommodation policy if your farm employee manual. We get into why and how to use your employee manual to communicate about disability accommodations effectively and equitably with all of your farm employees to promote a healthy workplace while protecting against the risk of a discrimination claim. Recommended Resources: Episode 77: Accommodating Employee Disabilities on the Farm and Ranch Model Farm Employee Manual That
77
March 26, 2025

Episode 77: Accommodating Employee Disabilities on the Farm and Ranch

In this episode, Eva and Bonita share important considerations for accommodating employee disabilities on the farm and ranch. You'll learn what a disability is in the eyes of the law, how to engage with employees about their accommodation requests, and how an accommodation decision could risk a discrimination claim. We share 5 steps for proactively managing accommodations for your employees to create an inclusive, accommodating workplace at your farm or ranch to minimize legal and financial risk
76
May 8, 2024

Episode 76: Facing Food Safety Regulation with Farmer Lindsay

Lindsay Klaunig (she/her) is the farmer and owner of Trouvaille Farm in Athens, Ohio. She raises grass-fed beef and goats on pasture, heirloom crops on the ridge tops, and makes artisan chocolate and other treats in their farm kitchen. She is also a seed producer, growing heirloom vegetable seeds that are sold through small regional seed companies. Previously, Lindsay worked as a specialty cheesemaker on a small-scale dairy farm in the early days of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). It w
75
April 19, 2024

Episode 75: Safe Collaboration Between Farm Businesses with Farmer Iriel

Iriel Edwards (she/her) is a seed farmer and owner of Dancing Radicle Farm in Alexandria, Louisiana. Her passions for seeding justice in our food system and dismantling private property feed her excitement for cooperative ownership as it relates to assets like equipment and land. In this episode, Iriel speaks with her peer Lilli Voorhies of Bumble Prairie Farm, and the two explore what it means to set up what Iriel calls “safe collaboration” between separate farm businesses. Throughout their co
74
March 22, 2024

Episode 74: Collective Land Access with Farmer Sagan

Sagan Gray (they/them) is a co-owner of Bramblenook Farm, a small vegetable production farm located in Scituate, Rhode Island on the unceded lands of the Narragansett, Pokanoket, and Wampanoag people. Their farm business has been in operation since 2019, and started fresh on collectively purchased land in 2022. In this episode, they share an honest picture of the underlying power dynamics of collective land ownership, as well as navigating legal barriers as a transgender person trying to move fo
73
March 15, 2024

Episode 73: Could the Zoning Code put a Damper on Your Botanical Production Plans?

Did you know that when a farmer starts drying herbs for tea or turning elderberries into syrup, a farm is potentially subject to different zoning or land use rules? In this podcast, Eva and Rachel help you avoid getting caught off-guard by exploring how and why zoning is a powerful decision making tool for navigating the legal transition point between growing herbal ingredients and making herbal/botanical products with regards to land use regulations. You’ll also hear important insights from far