Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying a relaxing summer. It is an honor and a privilege to once again share updates from the National Agricultural Law Center and the Agricultural & Food Law Consortium.
The past quarter has been particularly busy at the Center. We have launched The Ag & Food Law Update, a daily update on federal and state legislative, regulatory, and judicial activity. The update is posted daily to the Consortium's Agricultural & Food Law Blog. Check it out, and let us know what you think!
In late April, the Agricultural & Food Law Consortium hosted the Third Annual Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference at the University of Memphis School of Law. This year's program was a great success, and we are already looking forward to hosting the next conference in the Spring of 2017.
The Consortium also continued its monthly free webinar series, with programs on organic aquaculture standards, the use of medically important antimicrobials, and agricultural labor law. Our next webinar will be July 20, and is titled Clean Water Act, Section 404, and Waters of the United States: Navigating Wetlands in Agriculture. For a list of archived and upcoming webinars, visit our website here.
We have also completed a significant amount of travel this quarter! A highlight was the American Farm Bureau Federation LINC Conference in Memphis, Tennessee, that Senior Staff Attorney Rusty Rumley and I had the privilege of attending. Additionally, it was a great honor to participate in Planting the Seed: Emerging Trends and Opportunities in the Agriculture & Food Industries in Indianapolis, Indiana, hosted by Barnes & Thornburg LLP. Congratulations to William Wales, Robert Stead, and their Barnes & Thornburg colleagues who hosted a high quality legal program.
Further, in June, Center staff presented its quarterly update on agricultural law issues to U.S. House and Senate staffers. This quarter's update focused primarily on state level issues, including the North Carolina Property Protection Act, state law developments on drone use, agricultural biotechnology, and the North Dakota corporate farming law.
As always, we continue to add new resources to our website, and for daily updates in agricultural and food law, be sure to check the Center's Twitter account, Facebook page, and the Agricultural & Food Law Blog. We sincerely appreciate your interest in the Center, and welcome your input and suggestions on how best we can provide objective agricultural and food law research and information to stakeholders throughout the United States.
|
The Ag & Food Law Update
Starting in May, as part of the Consortium's
Ag & Food
Law Blog
,
we began publishing the Ag & Food Law Update, a
comprehensive summary of the day's judicial, legislative,
and regulatory developments in agriculture and food.
The Update is posted on the Consortium's
blog, as well as the NALC's
Twitter and
Facebook pages, by 11 a.m. (CT), Monday through Friday.
It consists of:
- State and federal case law
- Congressional developments
- Federal Register documents, regulations, proposed rules and notices, including scheduled hearings and administrative orders
Many of the summaries in the Ag & Food Law Update provide links to primary documents or websites with additional resources. As needed, entries also go beyond the official record with statistical analyses, bill summaries, and other tools to put the information in context.
Later this summer, the Update will be expanded to include significant state statutory and regulatory developments.
|
Another Successful Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference
Major sessions included:
- Lenders, Lawyers, and their Farmers: Managing Risk in a Faltering Ag Economy
- When the Clock is Ticking: Handling an Ag Bankruptcy
- When the Corps & EPA Comes A-Knockin' on the Farm: Navigating Wetlands Issues
- Legal Issues & Liability in Agricultural Nutrient Management
The Consortium was also fortunate to have Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward deliver the
keynote address on "Agricultural Trade with Cuba" regarding his recent trip to that country. Plans are already being developed for next year's conference. If you have any suggestions on topics to include, please
contact us.
|
Consortium News: Webinar Series
As part of its mission, the
Agricultural & Food Law Consortium
continues to host a series of webinars on numerous agricultural and food law topics. These webinars are freely available to the general public and are typically designed to be appropriate for both attorneys and non-attorneys.
Recent:
During this past quarter, three webinars were held for the general public. In April, National Sea Grant Attorney Alexandra Chase discussed the regulatory scheme of organic aquaculture standards. A recording of the webinar is available here.
The May webinar featured Dr. Michael Murphy, a Veterinary Medical Officer with CVM/FDA. He addressed the use of medically important antimicrobials in animal agriculture, and a recording of his talk is available
here. Finally, in June, Sean High, a staff attorney with the Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, presented a foundational overview of the laws and regulations affecting agricultural labor. His presentation is recorded
here.
Upcoming:
Three webinars are also scheduled for this upcoming quarter. This month, private practice attorney Sharon Mattox will discuss the Clean Water Act as it affects agriculture, including wetlands issues, 404 permits and the "WOTUS" rule. For more information on her presentation, click
here.
The August webinar features
Tiffany Dowell,
Shannon Ferrell and NALC Senior Staff Attorney Rusty Rumley. Together, they will address legal issues in leasing land for hunting, grazing and livestock. More information on their presentation is available
here.
In the coming year, the Consortium will be continuing to host public webinars monthly on topics that are important and/or timely to agricultural law. A listing of upcoming webinars and links to the archived records will remain available
here.
|
Briefing Congressional Staffers in D.C.
On June 10, Harrison Pittman, Rusty Rumley, and Mark Camarigg traveled to Washington D.C. for the quarterly update to Congressional staffers about emerging legal and policy issues from across the country. The meeting, held in the Senate Agricultural Committee Hearing Room, was
hosted by Senator Pat Roberts, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and Senator John Boozman,
Chair of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management and Trade.
Topics covered included state UAV laws, GMO labeling, an environmental case law update, and state laws and regulations that have been recently enacted.
There were around sixty staffers present in the Senate Agriculture Committee Room during the morning briefing, and many stayed after to discuss individual questions with Harrison and Rusty. As always, it was a productive and eventful trip to D.C..
|
|
Focus on Outreach
Center staff has given multiple presentations to a wide range of audiences over the past quarter. You can see some recent examples below. If you're interested in learning more about any of the topics below, or in having Center staff present at a conference or webinar you're sponsoring, please
contact us.
In-person presentations:
- Harrison Pittman, Rusty Rumley and Mark Camarigg attended the Third Annual Mid-South Ag & Environmental Law Conference in Memphis, TN, where Harrison and Rusty presented as part of a panel discussing recent developments in ag and food law.
- Rusty met with the University of Arkansas Collegiate Farm Bureau, discussing hot topics in agricultural law.
-
Harrison attended Planting the Seed: Emerging Trends and Opportunities in the Agriculture & Food Industries, a CLE in Indianapolis, IN, where he talked about resources offered by the center and several agricultural and food legal issues.
- Elizabeth and Rusty Rumley, along with co-teachers Anthony Schutz and Maureen Moseman, taught a class on Animal Production Law and Policy at the University of Nebraska College of Law.
- Harrison and Rusty attended and presented at the American Farm Bureau Federation LINC Conference in Memphis, TN.
- Rusty spoke to veterans attending the Arm to Farm workshop in Fayetteville, AR, covering business organizations and landowner liability.
- Harrison discussed labeling and liability with attendees of the Plan, Produce, Profit workshop in Fayetteville, AR.
- Rusty attended the John Huffaker Agricultural Law CLE in Lubbock, TX.
- Harrison attended the Agricultural Council of Arkansas Spring Meeting in Pickens, AR and provided attendees with an update on environmental law issues in agriculture.
- Rusty presented on hunting leases and practical leasing tips at the Rancher Leasing Workshop in Stillwater, OK.
- Harrison attended the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture annual meeting in Point Clear, AL, and provided an update on agricultural law issues for attendees.
- Rusty spoke about liability, business organizations and insurance with attendees at a workshop focusing on agritourism in Hope, AR.
- Harrison, Rusty and Mark traveled to Washington DC, where Harrison and Rusty briefed Congressional staffers on agricultural issues and met with NALC stakeholders.
- Elizabeth, Rusty and Harrison participated in the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's strategic planning meeting in Paris, AR.
Interviews:
- Harrison participated in a radio interview for KASU, talking about ag law issues in the mid-South.
- Rusty was interviewed by the Vermont Standard newspaper on livestock running at large.
|
|
