Dear Friends and Colleagues,
2015 was an eventful year for the National Agricultural Law Center and the Agricultural & Food Law Consortium. It is a pleasure to once again share updates about some of our recent and upcoming activities with you, and we wish you the very best for the New Year!
Center staff have remained busy conducting outreach to groups across the country. For example, in early December we had the honor of delivering a staff level briefing in the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Hearing Room on various recent and emerging agricultural law issues. We were very happy to present to a full house of attendees, especially given the hectic legislative schedule at the time, and would like to thank each of them for their attendance and participation!
Another significant development is that the Consortium has launched a first-of-its-kind collaborative funding opportunity designed to expand the development of objective agricultural and food law research and information. We encourage academics, students, private practitioners and others to consider submitting a proposal. You can read more about this national initiative below, and we encourage you to contact us with any questions you may have and to share the information with others.
Additionally, on April 22, 2016, the Consortium will host the Third Annual Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. We hope you can join us- both for the conference and for a barbeque dinner reception the night before at the world famous Rendevous restaurant.
Finally, we are pleased to announce that the Center has hired Mark Camarigg as its new Communications and Special Projects Coordinator. We are thrilled to have Mark on board as we continue to expand our programmatic activities and reach throughout the nation.
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 you. And, most of all, Happy New Year!
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Third Annual Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference
The workshop will have speakers covering a wide range of topics, including: - Agricultural & Environmental Law Update: Recent Trends and Developments
- 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
- Considerations for Legal Ethics: Common Issues
- Legal Issues & Liability in Agricultural Nutrient Management
The evening before the workshop, attendees are invited to join us for a "BBQ & Beer" welcome reception at Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous. The cost of the reception is included in the conference registration. The program is pending approval for five hours of general continuing legal education credit and one hour of ethics credit in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. Additionally, it is pending approval in Arkansas for six hours of real estate CE. Please check back here for updates on the approval status.
For individuals seeking continuing education credit, the cost will be $175. For other attendees not seeking professional credit the fee is $125, and for students the fee is $25. In all cases, the cost includes lunch and materials. More information and a link to register for the conference is available here.
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Collaborative 2016 Funding Opportunity: Call for Proposals
The Agricultural & Food Law Consortium is seeking formal collaboration with individuals, organizations, and institutions to conduct research and outreach activities that support the delivery of objective agricultural and food law research and information to the nation's agricultural community. The deadline for Pre-Proposal Letters of Interest is 5:00 EST on February 12, 2016.
Letters of interest may pertain to any topic related to agricultural and food law. However, priority consideration will be given to letters that focus on the following topical areas: agricultural finance, including creditors rights and agricultural bankruptcy; agricultural employment, including foreign workers; big data/drone issues; food safety; and environmental law.
Additionally, special consideration will be given to letters that incorporate the development of content for the eXtension Ag & Food Law Community of Practice, including collaboration of the Ag & Food Law community with other eXtension communities.
Click here to learn more about funding availability, the application process and timelines and other related information.
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Center Travel to Washington, D.C.
During the first week of December, Center staff traveled to Washington, D.C. for its regular meeting with stakeholders.
As part of the meeting, Center staff provided a briefing to Congressional Staffers and Congressional Research Service personnel in the Senate Agriculture Committee Hearing Room. The meeting 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. Center staff updated attendees on several recent and emerging issues in agricultural sector and highlighted ongoing resources of interest of the Center, as well as its Agricultural & Food Law Consortium partners.
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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 quarter, three webinars were held for the general public. In October, Harrison Pittman covered "Industrial Hemp Production in the U.S.: Overview, Update, & Legal Issues. A recording of the webinar is available here.
In November, Stephanie Otts presented on "Biofuels, the Renewable Fuel Standard, and Invasive Plants: What's the Fuss All About?" a recording of which is available here. Finally, in December, Ross Pifer addressed "Federal Regulation of Shale Oil and Gas Development- Current Topics" to an audience that included participants from all over the United States. The recording of Ross's webinar is available here.
Upcoming:
 The Consortium is also planning three webinars during the first quarter of 2016. The first one will feature guest presenter Kirstin Nelson, Law Librarian at the National Agricultural Library. This webinar will be held on January 20th, and will discuss available resources for free legal research on the web. More information is available here.
The February webinar, by Ross Pifer, will address induced seismicity in shale development, and more information is available here. Finally, the March webinar will be by guest speaker Amanda Urbanek, Deputy Regional Director, USDA-NAD. She will focus on information for practitioners in understanding the role of the USDA's National Appeals Division. More information on this webinar 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.
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"Plan, Produce & Profit" Workshop Series
During October, Senior Staff Attorney Rusty Rumley collaborated with food scientists associated with the Arkansas Food Innovation Center (AFIC) on a series of workshops in Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and Forrest City, Arkansas. The workshops helped to educate producers regarding the steps necessary to take a homemade product and develop it for sale to the public.
AFIC is a service center, part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, created to assist food entrepreneurs with processing their products and to comply with the food safety and labeling regulations that are necessary for commercial production. Over 80 people attended the full day workshops that addressed a range of topics including cottage food laws, labeling requirements, ingredients, and food safety.
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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:
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Harrison Pittman, Rusty Rumley & Elizabeth Rumley attended the annual conference of the American Agricultural Law Association, held in Charleston, SC.
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Rusty discussed farmer's market liability and insurance tips for a Kentucky Farmers Market Manager Training.
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Harrison discussed agricultural law issues with LeadAR Class 17 in Van Buren, AR.
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Harrison met with project stakeholders in the Arkansas Delta as part of the NALC Local Foods Project.
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Rusty discussed estate planning issues surrounding mineral leasing at a Petroleum Leasing Workshop in Searcy, AR.
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Rusty discussed cottage food laws and product liability at the Plan, Produce & Profit Workshops in Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Forrest City, AR.
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Harrison, Rusty & Elizabeth participated in a briefing about recent legal developments and NALC resources for Congressional Staffers in Washington DC.
Webinar presentations:
- Rusty presented on farmer's market liability and insurance tips for a Kentucky Farmers Market Manager Training.
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