Wisconsin farmland values rose an average of 11% in 2022, according to the Seventh Federal Reserve District Ag Letter. The 2022 increase came on the heels of a 22% increase in 2021, and was the second largest in the past 10 years. Let’s explore what effects this increase will likely have on Wisconsin farmers. Obvious Benefits: The Good Higher land values increase net worth. This, in turn, can help farmers access and obtain credit. Farmers will get more money
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CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
There has been a bit of upheaval over the past few years, and it doesn’t look like 2023 is going to suddenly calm itself down. That means we continue to have the choice on how we view the external world and act upon our assessment. I propose that there are two dichotomies of options presented that maybe aren’t so opposite as they first seem. The first is the question of Opportunity versus Threat. The second is reactive versus proactive
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The Border Revisited
Three years ago, I went on vacation. When I came back, COVID started, my son Noah was born, our team grew, and shrank, and grew again; time became a vortex. I cannot believe three years has gone by, but it has; time really flies. A lot of things have changed in both our business and personal lives – but not much has changed as far as your rights at the border – you still don’t have any! I’ve dusted
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Will it Mix?: Wisconsin Law and Homemade Goods
Those following the news in Wisconsin may have heard about a December 2022 court decision, which ordered the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) not to enforce Wisconsin law against producers of certain kinds of homemade goods. This blog post intends to break it down a little more to provide the context in which the decision exists, as well as what it does.
What Went Down in Court?
Under Wisconsin law (Chapter 97 of the
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Time Management Takeaways
Many of the readers of this blog are busy people—and life only seems to get busier by the day. As Erin discussed in her recent post about delegation and its benefits, time is finite, and taking time to do one task means you can’t do another at the same time. That ties into an idea we discuss often at OG+S— “opportunity cost”—that for every opportunity you embrace and every choice you make, there is a cost, an infinite amount
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Where The Rubber Meets The Road
We’ve talked about why we should delegate and what and when we should delegate. All of that is great unless we don’t actually do it or do it poorly. So today, we’ll provide some pointers on the how we can delegate successfully.
First, choose the correct person for the correct task. Each team member has a role and a strength. Just because they “can” doesn’t mean they should. Match the task and the delegate.
Second, build parameters and guidelines.
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Delegation: What Do I Give, What Do I Keep?
Last week, I talked about why we delegate. Great, now we’re sold! But what do we delegate and when?
Not every task can be delegated. Before simply handing off a task (especially menial ones), consider whether you can eliminate it in the first place completely. If it doesn’t need to be done, then we do not need to be losing time (and money) by having someone else do it. A necessity is not always one, and it may not
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The Good Fight with the Good Friends
“That was good, wasn’t it?” This was the question that Republican Senator John McCain asked Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, after having one of their heated debates on the floor of the United States Senate. Two men putting aside their staunch differences because of a friendship. Now over the years, I have noticed that more and more of my fellow students have become more politically engaged and opinionated. More than likely a result of our growth, and how we are
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A Trademark Christmas
Christmas and all of its “Christmas magic” is so ingrained in American culture, it can tempting to assume that the holiday is immune from IP considerations. For those who have been reading our blog for a while, you know that this is not the case (shameless plug for my post from last year on a similar topic). However, you might not be aware that there are many registered trademarks related to Christmas. Here are some you might recognize,
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The IRS Does Not Require Me To Say This
Many lawyers automatically append a disclaimer to each outgoing email explaining that the recipient should not rely on any tax advice contained in the email. Some of these disclaimers explain that
IRS Circular 230 requires that the lawyer provide the disclaimer. For example: IRS Circular 230 Disclosure: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to
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Applying for a License to Grow Hemp in Wisconsin – 2022 Edition!
A lot has changed since Wisconsin growers and processors of hemp applied for their first permits from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection under the 2014 Farm Bill. Now, the growing of hemp in our state is managed by the USDA via their local Farm Services Agencies, among many other changes. In this post we discuss the basic steps for applying for a hemp growing permit from the USDA. If you have dreams and aspirations of growing hemp
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Getting Over That Hurdle (Rate)
Compensating service providers with equity is a pretty regular occurrence with startups. New companies don’t have a lot of cash (or any) to pay the people they need to run the business (just get a quote on the cost to develop an MVP of your new app if you don’t believe me) and providing equity is a great way to build buy-in because…we know…a startup, at least from the perspective of the Founders, is a long-play, not a short
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Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act Trust Claims
Your farm client has sold apples to a wholesaler operating as an LLC and has not been paid. Now the LLC has closed, and the owner of the LLC has filed bankruptcy. What can you do to get your farmer paid? Wisconsin has far fewer farms now than it did 40 years ago, but we are still an agricultural state. It therefore makes sense for lawyers, particularly those in rural Wisconsin, to have some understanding of the Perishable Agricultural
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How trust enhances team performance
As you learned from Drew’s post last week, we attended the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Solo and Small Firm Conference. It is a conference for well, solo and small (fewer than 10 attorneys) firms. Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of discussions about teams with other attendees – especially those of us who have a dispersed workforce. One key ingredient in having a team whether dispersed or not is trust, but it becomes even more important when people work from
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Three Insights from the 2022 Wisconsin Bar Solo & Small Firm Conference
Every year, many Wisconsin lawyers who work for small firms or practice law solo attend a conference sponsored by the State Bar of Wisconsin which facilitates gatherings, lectures, and conversations about relevant topics and issues. I was excited to be able to attend this year’s Wisconsin Solo and Small Firm Conference to gain insight into approaching legal practice in this way through lectures and conversations. These in-person discussions are especially valuable to me as a new lawyer at an
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Quick (Kwik? Quik?) on the Draw
After moving to Wisconsin, I came to appreciate many things about Wisconsin culture, including the near-universal adoration of Kwik Trip. After a few visits to Kwik Trip, I realized that Kwik Trip was something I had experienced long before ever having been to Wisconsin. In my native state of Iowa, Kwik Trip had been present my whole childhood. The only difference is that I recognized it under the Kwik Star brand name. Many Wisconsinites I share this with are
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