Agricultural Law
The firm began as the Sarah Vogel Law Firm, and it has continued a strong tradition of work on behalf of farmers and ranchers. Sarah Vogel, a former two-term Commissioner of Agriculture for North Dakota, began working on behalf of farmers and ranchers in the 1980s, during the depths of the farm crisis. Sarah’s work, and a national class action suit she brought, saved over 240,000 family farmers from foreclosure. Both Sarah Vogel and Beth Baumstark, former partners of the firm, worked for farmers and ranchers for years, with experience that ranged from section line disputes to testifying before Congress and writing U.S. Supreme Court briefs on NAFTA and GATT trade disputes. Beth Baumstark’s exceptional handling of many NAD appeals and crop insurance arbitrations has been recognized by farmers and other attorneys across the country. Derrick Braaten has successfully represented farmers in wetland disputes with NRCS, NAD appeals and crop insurance cases, and numerous other agricultural law issues. The attorneys at the firm are passionate about working for family farms in North Dakota and throughout the region. Not only do we have experience with the many legal issues often faced by today’s farmers and ranchers, we also recognize that our clients’ time is often as important as ours. Whether it’s calving time or harvest time, we’re sensitive to the changing seasons, and always willing to work with the special needs of farmers and ranchers.
More specifically, we have significant experience with agricultural law in the following areas:
- Administrative hearings and appeals through the National Appeals Division (NAD) of USDA related to various farm programs, including wetland disputes
- Crop insurance disputes, arbitration and related litigation
- Disputes related to bad seed and other defective farm inputs
- Pesticide misapplications and pesticide drift
- Defective machinery and equipment
- Farm leases and other agricultural agreements
- Production contract and other contract disputes
- Grain elevator insolvencies
Whether it’s a simple farm lease, a crop insurance denial, or complex contractual dispute, our attorneys have the experience and know-how to help out with the legal issues faced by farmers and ranchers.
