Posted November 13, 2013
A direct marketing guide for South Carolina is now
available through the National Agricultural Law Center here. State-specific direct marketing guides for
several states are also available here.
Local food is a growing area of interest. Consumers seek out local producers for many
reasons including supporting local communities and stewardship of the land, learning
more about where their food comes from, and making connections with the people
who grow their food.
Running a successful direct farm business, however, can
be difficult due to complex laws and regulations. These direct marketing guides intend to bring
clarity to some of the rules and provide guidance on where and how to get the
correct information.
After an overview of the federal and state regulatory
system, the guides discuss issues important to farming operations including the
structure of an agricultural business, marketing plans for the business,
taxation concerns and labor and employment issues. Then, they discuss the regulation of certain
specific products including dairy, eggs, fish and other aquatics, produce,
grains and cereals, honey and maple syrup, meat and poultry and organic
marketing. The guides also contain an
extensive glossary of terms relevant to legal and production concerns.
For more information on local food systems, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center's website here.
