Agribusiness

Succession planning means implementing the proper framework to make any transition in your agribusiness as flawless as possible for everyone involved. Many need to consider all of the evolution of agribusiness. Often, people assume their children or spouse will take over after they are gone. With succession planning, you can identify and develop new individuals who can replace veteran leaders in the future when they retire, pass away, or unexpectedly leave. In many cases, poor planning leaves a business underprepared. With our help, we can reassure you that your agribusiness will be secure.

Grazing Leases

To meet the needs of your livestock business, you need grazing land to support your animals. A grazing lease is a formal recognition by the provincial government allowing the leaseholder to use a parcel of publicly owned land for grazing. At North & Company LLP, we can help you attain a grazing lease, plan the financials to keep it and assist you in managing any other issues, such as oil, water or mineral rights on the land.

Crop Share Leases 

Leasing land in Alberta is a common practice. It may be wise for landowners to take advantage of a crop share lease. A crop share lease is where a landowner leases their land in return for a share of the crop produced by a tenant. If you are curious about when a crop share lease may benefit you or need assistance setting up and managing the lease, our knowledgeable lawyers are here to help.   

Forestry Tenures 

The province of Alberta owns all the timber contained within provincial public lands. To access timber for commercial harvesting, you must attain a forest tenure from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. We can assist if you need help with how to do this or in completing this process. 

Our knowledgeable team of lawyers includes farm owners in Southern Alberta. First-hand experience is second to none when buying or selling your farm. It may seem simple; however, without the proper guidance from a legal professional, this simple task may have dire consequences. Terms for a contract of sale may hide unwanted conditions, you may be unaware of how to legally transfer title to a buyer or you want a second opinion that you are taking the proper steps. Regardless of the nature of your concern, we want to help.

Water is undoubtedly a precious commodity in Alberta. You may need to gain permission from the provincial government to use a specific water source. Once approved, the water rights holder may use that water source for specified purposes. It can be daunting, and you may need help figuring out where to start. We can assist in navigating legal concerns and procedures so that you don’t have to. We hope to alleviate the legal confusion so that your only problem will be getting your crop off.

With the advancement of technology, renewable resources will undoubtedly become a significant component of Alberta’s energy landscape in the future. With new renewable projects, many issues face the owner of an agribusiness or wind/solar farmer. 

• How can you protect your land interest with a wind or solar development on your property? 
• How can you create a lease for a wind or solar project? 
• How can you navigate the regulations set on your wind or solar farm? 

These are only a few of the many questions you may have that our lawyers can help answer. 

A conservation easement is one way for a landowner to keep a section of land with many private property rights intact and still protect its conservation value for future generations. A landowner can sell or donate certain rights to use or develop land to a private or public organization in perpetuity to keep the land in a suitable condition for conservation efforts. These conditions can stay on your land forever, so talking to a professional to help plan accordingly will save you valuable time, money, and effort. 

To tackle the legal aspects of financing your agribusiness, our experienced legal team is familiar with the agriculture lenders, including the FCC, AFSC, Chartered Banks and Credit Unions. These lenders have different policies and paperwork, which can cause unnecessary confusion without the proper help. We also have experience with various forms of security, including land mortgages, general and specific security agreements, Bank Act security, guarantees, and the types of assets secured, whether land, inventory, quotas or specialized contracts.