Megan Todd and Nicole Cook, in collaboration with Future Harvest, presented a free, two-part webinar series on May 27th and June 3rd to provide Maryland farms with a comprehensive overview of the legal considerations for direct online sales and marketing. The webinars aimed to help farms—particularly small and beginning operations—understand the complex legal landscape of e-commerce and online marketing.
The use of the internet for farm sales and marketing has surged in recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the shift to online platforms. However, many farmers, especially those new to online marketing, are unaware of the specific legal requirements involved. Without proper guidance, they can easily encounter pitfalls in their online business operations.
The series addressed key topics essential for farms moving into or expanding their online presence. These included compliance with online marketing rules and regulations, such as avoiding trademark and copyright infringement and protecting their own intellectual property. The webinars also explored digital marketing and advertising laws, ensuring compliance with disability rights and privacy laws in online advertising and marketplaces, and guidance on running online sweepstakes and contests.
Additionally, the sessions covered the critical aspects of selling farm products online, including food safety compliance in e-delivery businesses, labeling regulations, and food delivery obligations for direct-to-consumer e-commerce food sales. The webinars also explained sales tax regulations for farms selling into other states.
Recordings of the webinars will be available soon.
This series was made possible through work supported by the Chesapeake Specialty Crop Marketing initiative, funded by the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program – Farm Bill through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service, under grant #251501-03.
