Episode 36: Getting into Gleaning

Farm Commons

In this episode, we get into the subject of gleaning — the practice of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they’ve been commercially harvested in order to distribute that food to schools, food banks, and other recipients. This food recovery work weaves together important principles of food access and environmental sustainability, bringing about deep connections through community engagement around a good cause on the farm. However, to keep a good thing going, we need to manage our legal risks and farmers know that. We often get questions like: Are gleaners volunteers? Can gleaners receive payment, whether cash or produce? Can a for-profit business host gleaners? These questions highlight the many employment laws at play in this realm of farm law. The good news is we discuss all these questions and more so that you can understand how to manage legal risks of gleaning programs on your farm so that this good work can continue into the future.

Resources mentioned:

• National Gleaning Project
• Association of Gleaning Organizations
• Farmers’ Legal Guide to Interns and Volunteers

Correction: Discovering Resilient: A Legal Workshop for Farmers and Ranchers meets on THURSDAYS (not Wednesdays!) in June, starting on June 3rd, 2021. Register here.