The Legal Needs of Farmers: An Analysis of the Family Farm Legal Needs Survey

A. Bryan Endres, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Stephanie B. Johnson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Donald L. Uchtmann, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Anne H. Silvis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Abstract

In post-modern agriculture's increasingly complex operating environment, the literature lacks a comprehensive analysis of the legal issues facing today's farm operators from the perspective of the farmer. Numerous scholars (included the authors) have analyzed various specific legal/policy issues and their impact on the agricultural community. This article, however, adopts a unique bottom-up approach in which the family farmers, rather than scholars or practitioners, identify their actual legal needs. Derived from the Family Farm Legal Needs Survey conducted by the authors with the support of the Illinois Bar Foundation, this article fills a critical gap in the literature and will enable development of not only appropriate strategies for legal education, but will provide practitioners with a better understanding of their clients' needs.