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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I always enjoy the opportunity to talk about the National Agricultural Law Center and its work, especially through this newsletter. I hope you can take a few moments to read about some of recent and upcoming activities, and please feel free to contact us anytime with suggestions on new areas of agricultural and food law you feel should be addressed.
In May, we co-hosted the First Annual Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference. It was a resounding success that brought in attorneys, lenders, and others from several states. A special thanks goes out to the speakers and our co-hosts for helping make the conference so successful. Earlier in the spring, the Center co-sponsored a webinar with the American Agricultural Law Association which was also very well-attended. Thanks, very much, to Tiffany Dowell and Cari Rincker for their presentations in that webinar.
We continue to focus research and information activities in the area of local and regional food system development. Over the next year we will work in partnership with USDA Rural Development to carry out a major interdisciplinary project titled, Farm to Fork Pilot: Comprehensive Local/Regional Food System Development in the Arkansas Delta. This interdisciplinary project will address stakeholder-driven research and information needs in the Arkansas Delta region.
We continue our webinar series in conjunction with our partnership with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. The next webinar in this series will focus on legal issues associated with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), sometimes referred to as drones.
Additionally, we are revamping the leadership, structure, and operation of the eXtension Agricultural & Food Law Community of Practice (CoP). If you are an attorney interested in learning more about the CoP, please contact me anytime.
On a personal note, I want to congratulate recently former Center employee Stacy Revels. Stacy was an outstanding contributor to the Center's research and information activities and is dearly missed. We wish her the best in her new position with the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and know that she will be a great asset to the department and the citizens of South Dakota. I also want to congratulate Center Research Assistant Elizabeth Burns-Thompson who has been recently announced as the Government Relations Manager for the Iowa Corn Growers Association. Elizabeth has been a tremendous asset to the Center, and we know she'll be an outstanding representative for the Iowa Corn Growers Association.
In conclusion, it's a great privilege to share Center developments with you, and I certainly hope you enjoy this newsletter. Other ways you can stay in contact with us include "liking" us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and checking out The Ag & Food Law Blog that is updated throughout each day. And as always, we're continually available through email at nataglaw@uark.edu.
Sincerely,
Center Director
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1st Annual Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference
The National Agricultural Law Center, in partnership with the Arkansas Bar Association and the National Sea Grant Law Center, were proud to host the First Annual Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference, on May 16 in Tunica, MS. Approximately 65 attorneys and lenders from multiple states attended the conference, which was very well received.
The agenda for the conference included:
- Litigating Federal Crop Insurance Disputes: Overview and Discussion of Important Practical Pointers and Pitfalls - J. Grant Ballard
- Agricultural Leases for Mid-South Farmers, Lenders, and Landlords - William C. Bridgforth, Cal McCastlain and J. Travis Baxter
- The Gulf Dead Zone and Gulf Restoration v. EPA: What it Means for Agriculture in the Mississippi River Basin - John Milner
- Hot Topics in Invasive Species Management: Lacey Act Reform, Biofuels, and More - Stephanie Showalter Otts
- Food Security: Technology and Ethics - Drew L. Kershen
- Nuisance Lawsuits and Right-to-Farm Laws for Mid-South Agriculture and Aquaculture - Rusty Rumley
Plans are already underway for next year's conference. Please contact Rusty Rumley with topic suggestions, for sponsorship opportunities, or for more information.
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Farm & Ranch Leasing Webinar 
In March, the National Agricultural Law Center and the American Agricultural Law Association co-sponsored a webinar titled, Farm and Ranch Leases: Overview and Practical Negotiation Pointers. About 80 members of the AALA took part in the webinar, which was moderated by Senior Center Staff Attorney Rusty Rumley. Presenters were Cari Rincker and Tiffany Dowell.
The program discussed the most common types of leases, but also addressed other types of agricultural leases such as livestock-share, bull/stallion leases, farm equipment leases, grazing leases, hunting and other recreation-type leases. Presenters discussed key provisions within each type of lease, lease termination, impact of federal farms programs and self-employment tax for social security purposes, and how to ascertain whether clients are getting a "fair price" under the lease.
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Employee Changes
The Center has welcomed two new employees within the last few months, and is excited for the next adventure of one who recently left!
Good Luck to: 
Stacey Revels, a recent graduate of the University of Alabama School of law, has left the Center to begin her career at the South Dakota Department of Agriculture. While at the Center, she was an integral part of a project that involved drafting state specific guides for direct marketing products in various states throughout the South. Stacy has been a valuable part of the Center for the past two years and we will miss her contributions greatly.
Welcome to:
Craig Raysor, the owner of Raysor Legal, a firm in northern Colorado that works with individuals and companies to add value to their businesses. His mix of in-house, private practice and government experience allows him to bring a practical and economical approach to client matters, and will bring a valuable perspective to his work while at the Center. His past experience includes work for large corporations, including JBS USA, Pilgrim's Pride, and Altria, work with a small, agricultural-centered, boutique law firm, and work as a regulatory attorney for the United States Department of Agriculture. Raysor studied political science and biology at Randolph-Macon College before earning his law degree, cum laude, from Roger-Williams University. He also earned his LL.M. in Agricultural and Food Law from the University of Arkansas School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Tennessee and Colorado.
Amy Hughes will be assisting with outreach and publicity at the Center. She earned her Master of Science in Agricultural and Extension Education with an emphasis in agricultural communications from the the University of Arkansas in May 2014. She also has a Bachelor's of Science in agricultural business with a minor in plant and soil science. Hughes earned her bachelor's from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Hughes was also a graduate teaching assistant for two academic years at the University of Arkansas where she assisted with the instruction of microcomputer applications and graphic design in agricultural, food and life sciences.
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Digitized Biofuels Legislation Inventory
The project assembles a comprehensive, digitized compilation of past and current federal and state laws relative to the role of agriculture in the nation's energy equation. So far, the laws of about 3/4 of the states have been updated. The Center is continuing work on the remaining states, as well as other publications applicable to the topic. To access the statutes, click here.
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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:
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Testimony before the House Fisheries, Wildlife and Insular Affairs Subcommittee - Washington, D.C.
- Food Safety Modernization Act CLE- Indianapolis, IN
- The Effect of FSMA on Small Businesses- Little Rock, AR
- Estate Planning - Morrilton, AR
- Legal Issues for Arkansas Farmers - Conway, AR
- Hunting Leases - Univ. of Ark. at Little Rock Law School
- Legal Issues in Direct Marketing - Auburn, AL
- Easements and Access to Forestland - Ferndale, AR
- Animals & Agricultural Production: Law and Policy - Lincoln, NE
- Current Developments with Right-to-Farm Statutes - Tunica, MS
Webinars:
- The Lacey Act - Aquaculture America, 2014
- The MS Agritourism Statute - MS Cooperative Extension
- Right-to-Farm Statutes - National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
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Upcoming Symposium: Advances and Issues in Food Animal Wellbeing.
On August 7th, the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing, an affiliate of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, will host its 4th Annual Symposium: Advances and Issues in Food Animal Wellbeing.
As always, the Symposium will have an exceptional lineup
of participants, including two featured speakers.
The first featured speaker will be Dr. Temple Grandin, a professor at Colorado State University, who will discuss "Animal Behavior and Welfare."
The second featured speaker will be
Dr. Joy Mench, a professor at the University of California-Davis, whose topic is "The Layer Industry of the Future."
Additionally, Senior Staff Attorney Elizabeth Rumley will be presenting on "Property Rights vs. Animal Rights: A Legal Perspective"
Registration is $25. For more information and to register, please click here.
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