I am speaking today in Atlantic City at the New Jersey State Bar Association’s (“NJSBA”) Annual Meeting on a couple farm animal law issues. One of the topics that I will be addressing today includes an overview of state legislation/regulation over the amount of space given to farm animals. Seven states have had laws sponsored by the Humane Society of …
Information on the Existing Voluntary National Animal Identification System
I know that it has been a while since the agriculture community has talked about the National Animal Identification System (“NAIS”). As most of my readers know, the program is managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (“APHIS”) and participation is currently voluntary. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) expressed concern over NAIS. In February …
“Peace Officers”: New York Is Not Alone….
If you have been following this blog then you know that I have written several posts and articles relating to livestock animal cruelty law in New York. Pursuant to New York Agriculture & Markets Law, duly incorporated animal societies (principally the New York Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty (“SPCA”)) can obtain warrants to search and seize farm animals. …
Sunday Links
Happy May Day! I have had a great visit in Illinois visiting Lake Land College and family. Our pastureland grass is lush and green. Illinois has been hit with a lot of rain this spring. Dad *hopes* to plant corn next weekend. Had a nice afternoon catching up on blogs. Here are a few that caught my eye: 1. April …
Wind Energy Property Agreements
I came across a great article this morning by Jessica Shoemaker from the Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Inc. (“FLAG”) titled “Negotiating Wind Energy Property Agreements.” You can find the article online here. I also co-authored an article on wind leases that you can find here. If you are interested in negotiating a wind lease on your farm or ranch I …
Interview with Dr. Temple Grandin
I have previously noted on this blog my admiration for Dr. Temple Grandin as an animal scientist. She truly is an extraordinary woman and has done so much for the livestock industry. Last night, I was reading National Cattlemen’s Beef Association‘s (“NCBA”)Beef Issues Quarterly for Fall 2010 and on Page 23 there is a great interview with Dr. Temple Grandin. …
Spring Cleaning: Animal Handling Procedures in Employee Handbooks
I have written blogs/articles and have spoken on livestock animal cruelty law in New York and my various recommendations for building a defense. Among them, I recommend that livestock producers have an employee handbook in place that enumerates recommended animal handling procedures and regularly train employees on those procedures. An employee handbook is not a contract but is instead a general …
New York Business Structures
Over the weekend I stumbled across the materials from the First Annual Meeting of New York Agri-Women and reviewed this excellent article titled “Doing Business in New York State: Structures and Strategies” by Bruce L. Anderson, Brian M. Henehan, and Charles J. Sullivan, Esq. Mr. Sullivan spoke on business organizations at the New York Agri-Women’s annual meeting. If you have …
Video Blog Introduction
I spoke to Cornell University‘s Sigma Alpha Mu agriculture sorority group tonight via Skype and it got me in the video blogging mood. For those of you who don’t know me, I posted an E-Introduction on YouTube tonight. After speaking to Sigma Alpha tonight, it reminded me of my previous post regarding the “not-so-simple definition of agriculture law.”
Speaking on Farm Animal Law Issues at the New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting
You can catch me speaking on “Hot Topics” of farm animal law on May 18th in Atlantic City at the New Jersey State Bar Association (“NJSBA”) Annual Meeting during the session on animal law from 3:30 – 5:30pm. I am currently planning to speak on farm animal welfare, family/matrimonial law and estate planning issues affecting livestock operations, and the Grain, …
NYFB Farm Animal Welfare Symposium: Why Isn’t Good Care Enough?
I will be speaking at the New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) Farm Animal Welfare Symposium titled “Why Isn’t Good Care Enough?” in Syracuse on April 7, 2011. The event is closed to NYFB members only. Kay Johnson Smith, the Executive Vice President of the Animal Agriculture Alliance, will be the keynote speaker. Other speakers on the panel include Steve Kopperud …
How to Handle Visits from Non-Police Officers in New York
On Page 12 of this month’s Grassroots published by the New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) you will find my article titled “How to Handle Visits from Non-Police Officers.” I also posted the article on JD Supra. I encourage New York livestock producers to read this article, previous blogs on the topic, and my outline on farm animal cruelty laws in New …