The ALEI August Webinar Series on Legal Considerations for Choosing Your Farm Business Structure. This series of webinars will help new and beginning farm entrepreneurs understand their options when choosing a business structure, commercial insurance needs and considerations, accounting and tax implications of business structures, and feature farmer speakers to discuss their experiences with their chosen business organization. Each webinar will include approximately 20 minutes for group discussion and Q & A.

Farm Business Structure Options – This session will cover the basic business structure types, including pros and cons, and formation requirements. This session will also feature a grower presenter, Tope Fanjingbesi of DoDo Farms, to discuss her experiences and advice for farm entrepreneurs.

Speakers: Margaret (Megan) Todd, Esq. & Tope Fajingbesi

Temitope (Tope) Fajingbesi is a U.S. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Nigerian Chartered Accountant. She is also an Africa-focused social entrepreneur and a published author. Prior to joining the IAA, Tope served several Washington D.C. organizations as an outsourced financial consultant after leaving her full-time position at the American Federation of Teachers as an Assistant Director of Financial Services in 2015. Tope is passionate about serving her communities in Nigeria and the United States. She co-founded United for Kids Foundation, an international organization committed to creating a better world for children from low-income families through the education, healthcare and social welfare initiatives in 2002. She also hosted Impact Africa, a radio program that inspired listeners to participate actively in African development through entrepreneurship from 2013 to 2015. Tope frequently speaks to global audiences with a mission to inspire. She was the keynote speaker at Grand Rapids City High School’s 2017 graduation ceremony, and has taught financial management courses to female entrepreneurs in Maryland and Washington D.C. through the Latino Economic Development Council since 2012.

Tope is married to Niyi Balogun, a farmer who manages their joint venture, Dodo Farms, a Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) produce farm in Montgomery County Maryland.

Margaret (Megan) Todd, Esq. is a Legal Research Associate with the Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI). She graduated from the Maryland Carey School of Law and has a background in environmental studies and policy. As part of her work with ALEI, Megan does extensive research into agriculture labor law issues, food safety, conservation leasing, environmental law, contracting, risk management strategies, and land use law.

This work is supported by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grant no. 2021-49400-35619 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.