It is no secret that the average age of the Minnesota farmer has steadily increased in recent years. With that in mind, the question of how to incentivize younger generations to start farming has become increasingly prevalent. With high start-up costs and fluctuating markets, getting new farmers in to agriculture is challenging. However, Minnesota recognized...

“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.” This is but one of the many pieces of sage advice shared by author and motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, with his audiences and readers over the course of his distinguished career. On the forefront of what farmers might expect, prepare for, and capitalize on...

Safeguarding Yourself from What You May Not Know With big ticket items like Earned Sick and Safe Time and Paid Family Medical Leave passed in the 2022- 2023 Minnesota Legislative Session getting most of the attention, you may have missed some of the smaller items that can get employers in trouble. Wage Disclosure Protections are...

On August 1, 2023, Minnesota became the twenty-third state to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for adults over the age of twenty-one.1 With legalization, many employers may be left asking how they should handle their current drug testing policies related to cannabis. Unlike many of the earlier-adopting states, the Minnesota legislature enacted protections for...

Minnesota continues to expand leave benefits for employees caring for themselves and family members. With the passage of earned sick and safe time and the increased eligibility for pregnancy and parenting leave, Minnesota created a paid family and medical leave (“MNFML”) benefits program. This article highlights quick facts about MNFML. Beginning January 1, 2026, MNFML...

One of the newest growing trends in Minnesota farm divorces involves both divorcing parties seeking to acquire the farm operation’s productive assets (land, machinery, equipment, etc.). In the past, it was typically presumed that the “farming spouse” will end up with the productive farm assets while the “nonfarming spouse” will receive fair compensation using other...

During the Ag Lending Conference on September 7th, I reported that an injunction had been entered in Texas preventing the CFPB from enforcing Rule 1071 against the parties to that case. I also mentioned a pending Kentucky case motion requesting the same relief from members of the Kentucky Bankers Association. At that time, I stated...