Copyright issues-using others info on website

[ellem]

I’m currently working on a website for a specialty meats distribution company and am running into some problems with copyright issues. I'm a new freelance graphic designer (still in school, but have collected jobs along the way-may be over my head on this one). They want us to have a separate page for each farm that they buy from that has a photo of that farm (or if we can’t get a photo then a photo of their product that we have taken); copy describing that farm; and the farm’s logo. So here are the questions I have

Photos:
Some of the photos we took ourselves, while others were sent to us by the farm. Do we have to confirm that they have the rights to post these photos on a website?

Copy:
Copy describing each farm was given to me and I was asked to edit and rewrite it so that it was shorter. I think that a lot of this information was gathered by one of their employees pulling things off of each farm’s websites. I don’t think that it was written by them, or that they asked permission to use it. Do I have to send the copy to each farm for approval? (I was planning on doing this out of courtesy, but is this a legal issue?)

Logo:
I was sent some of the logos from an employee at the distribution company. However I know that many of them were pulled off of the internet - from their website or a google images search I’m ***. Do I need express permission to use their logo on our website?

Sorry for the novel and thanks for any help or input!

[phoenix]

As a courtesy, yes, each farm/business should be contacted to get approval in writing to use their logo, a photo of their farm, and the proposed business wording. If you had a verbal approval from one person and they leave, it gives you back up in the event of questions raised.

I would also include a link to the farm's website if they have one, and in your email to each farm to request permission, and point out that the link inclusion will help their SEO (but don't request the same in return or it'll seem like an attempt to link-farm, excuse the pun!).

Present it from the point of view of wanting to help support allied industries and promote their business alongside the distribution company, and pride in using them as a supplier due to their quality.