Checklists Issued for Contract Farming

Missourians considering contract farming now have guidelines to help them make the decision. Two checklists, developed by the Missouri Farm Bureau and the Attorney General’s office, should help farmers sift through the complicated contracts written by corporate farm operations. One checklist covers grain, the other livestock. They break down production contracts, provide definitions of common words used in them and suggest questions to ask. Farm Bureau President Charles Kruse says a task force of farmers, Farm Bureau staffers and the Attorney General’s office wrote the checklists. The checklists are available free at Farm Bureau offices.