Farm Law and Ag Law Blog

      John was recently quoted in a DC Bureau piece of journalism regarding foreign farmland investment. You can find the article here:  Schwarz quoted in article on foreign farmland investment 

Get your farm ready to 'play defense' TAGS:  INSURANCE   FARM SUCCESSION   RISK MANAGEMENT Darrell Boone PROTECT THE FARM: John Schwarz II jokingly calls himself “the lawyer with the tractor.” He works to convince farmers why they need to structure their business properly. Insurance is not enough. Select a business structure that provides personal liability protection. Darrell Boone  | May 06, 2020 News flash: Personal injury law is big business. There are hordes of personal injury lawyers, like “The Big Rig Lawyer” or “The Hammer,” promising to sue you and win a huge verdict for their clients and themselves. In contrast, lifelong farmer and ag law attorney John Schwarz II, Royal Center, Ind., operates a practice that helps farmers protect themselves in today’s precarious legal climate. Schwarz says many factors have drastically increased risk and liability. They include: an increase in farm accidents, up 13% in the past five years and 31% in the past 10 years more s...

Nicole and husband Rafe Ward became sole proprietors of Eastman’s Antique Apples LLC in 2018. Since then, the couple has focused on the hard cider part of the business, not just selling apples. Today, their hard cider business, Forgotten Ciders LLC, distributes product on-site at 1068 W. Midland-Gratiot County Line Road in Wheeler, Mich., as well as at the Midland Farmers’ Market and bars, restaurants, and party stores across the state. Succession Planning Part 2: When creating a succession plan, farmers should think of ‘breaking the farm apart’ March 20, 2019  Category:  People ,  Crops by  Mitch Galloway | Farm News Media WHEELER — The paper signing is a blur now to Nicole Ward, who is a year removed from taking over a 14-acre apple orchard in Midland County. Yet, what isn’t blurry or fuzzy or grainy for the apple grower and cider maker from Wheeler, Mich., is the image of the white farmhouse — the one where her husband’s grandparents couldn’t l...

John is the only attorney in Indiana and Michigan that has been trained though the International Farm Transition Network (IFTN).   The IFTN is a network of service providers from different professional backgrounds, such as accountants, lawyers, farm managers, ag lenders, etc, working to assist farm businesses with their successful transition to an identified successor.  Find out more:   https://www.farmtransition.org/

Schwarz Law Office is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Farm Aid to assist farmers.                                                       WWW. FARMAID.ORG "It is a real honor to be able to work with Farm Aid and provide legal assistance to farmers".  said John Schwarz.  Times are very tough, and I am hopeful our office will be able to help many farmers. Farm Aid features the best that music has to offer, while remaining true to its ultimate mission. GREAT MUSIC, SUPPORTING FARMERS, AND STRENGTHENING AMERICA SINCE 1985 Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on the land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. Farm Aid has raised more than $53 million t...