The Contract Producer's Bill of Rights is an initiative of the Iowa Attorney General's Office, in response to the current lack of protection for contract farmers. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller plans to bring together the attorneys general from several States to discuss model state legislation setting minimum contract standards. The group will release its recommendations later this year and encourage state legislatures to enact them. The processor or integrator must present the contract in good faith, providing complete, honest and accurate information to producers. This applies to both written and oral communication between the processor and the producer.
Farmers can recover damages if they are harmed by misleading or incomplete information.
Clarity and readability standards. The contract must be easy to read and understand, with a clear disclosure of the major material risks to the producer. The processor submits the contract to the State Commissioner of Agriculture for review and approval before offering it to farmers. Confidentiality clauses outlawed. All attempts to keep farmers from discussing the contract with others, including attonneys, are forbidden.