Faegre Baker Daniels
Food & Agriculture Leadership
Our food and agriculture attorneys have a deep knowledge of the industry and long history of representing agribusiness clients. From across U.S. locations and in collaboration with our London and Shanghai offices, this team works to proactively lead the firm’s industry focus of more than 100 lawyers. They write, speak, and participate in trade associations and provide strategic input to the rest of the firm on legal and business developments that affect our clients’ business. They use their expertise from various nationally ranked practice areas to provide exemplary service to our clients every day.
Kim Walker is the chair of the firm’s food and agriculture industry group. A lawyer for more than 30 years, he represents international agribusiness clients in nationwide commercial litigation and arbitrations involving government regulations, product liability, environmental, nuisance, contract and antitrust matters. Kim is a founding partner of the Des Moines office and divides his time between Des Moines and Minneapolis. He speaks at trade events and writes for national industry publications, and is ranked in Chambers USA for litigation. Kim is instrumental in the firm’s diversity/inclusion efforts.
Sarah Brew's practice focuses on food industry litigation and regulatory matters. She has developed a national reputation representing food processors, distributors and retailers in foodborne illness and contamination cases, defending them against product liability and class action claims and representing them in complex commercial litigation and supply chain disputes. Sarah has served as national or regional counsel in cases arising from many recent outbreaks, involving products such as eggs, spinach, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, peanut butter, ground beef and pet food. Sarah also counsels clients on recall, regulatory compliance and risk management issues.
Gretchen Miller Busch focuses her practice on sophisticated commercial real estate transactions, emphasizing national corporate real estate services for agribusiness companies and clients in other industries. Core services include lease negotiations, acquisitions associated with business expansion or relocation, divestment transactions, and sale-leaseback transactions. Using alternative fee arrangements and cutting-edge project management practices, Gretchen helps her clients achieve their business goals while maintaining cost predictability.
Jacob Bylund has argued cases before appellate and trial courts in multiple states. In addition, Jacob has represented clients in arbitration proceedings before the American Arbitration Association and the National Grain and Feed Association. Jacob has also represented clients before the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the USDA Office of General Counsel, the USDA Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA), and the Antitrust Division of the DOJ.
Andrew Ritten's practice is focused in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity, renewable energy, joint ventures, antitrust compliance, and general corporate counseling. Andy has participated in the representation of buyers and sellers in several public and private stock and asset-based transactions involving amounts ranging from less than $200,000 to more than $1.2 billion. These deals have included stock-based mergers, management buyouts, leveraged transactions, and venture capital investments.