As I noted in this blog a few months ago, I am currently completing the Beef Quality Assurance (“BQA”) training through the New York Beef Industry Council, Inc. Last weekend, I have reviewed the Producer Certification Manual for the Mid-Atlantic region (which includes Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Maine, New Jersey and Vermont). After reviewing the materials, I …
I asked this question on Twitter last week. Sometimes it is easy to take internet access for granted; however, there are still parts of the county, particularly in isolated rural areas, that don’t have access to broadband. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 appropriated $2.5 billion for broadband access for underserved communities. Perhaps some of you have seen …
In Part One, I discussed different ways to locate the type of attorney that you need. In this post, I will give some suggestions during the consultation stage to make sure that you have the right attorney for you. I would like to preface this post by mentioning that not all attorneys give free consultations. Be sure to ask the …
Happy Columbus Day! I’m back from the great state of Nebraska where I attended American Agriculture Law Association (“AALA”) Conference. I listened in on the break-out sessions discussing Confined Animal Feeding Operations (“CAFO’s”), wind and solar farms, crop insurance, agriculture liens, and animal rights. Industry experts gave updates on a myriad of agriculture law issues including food law, environmental law, …
It’s been quite a while since my last Ag Book Club discussion. If you are a new reader to this blog, I got the idea a year ago to finally get organized and read the literature discussing or criticizing the U.S. food and agriculture industry in some way. We discussed the movie Food Inc., and the books Omnivore’s Dilemma, Eating …
Today I am getting on an airplane from LGA and heading to Omaha, Nebraska for the American Agriculture Law Association‘s (“AALA”) 31st Annual Agriculture Law Symposium. I’m always excited to meet other food and agriculture attorneys. Nebraska is such a great agriculture state. I haven’t been to Omaha for a few years. This year’s conference has an excellent line-up: On …
As I have previously noted in this blog, I am on the New York State Bar Association’s (“NYSBA”) Committee on Animals and the Law (“CAL”). On this Committee, I assist with the annual Student Writing Competition. For all you law students out there, the deadline for the Fourth Annual Student Writing Competition is June 30, 2011. The first place winner …
I am on the New York Beef Producers’ Association (“NYBPA”) Government Relations Committee with Nicole Tommell from Fonda, New York. Together we have started a Facebook page to start keeping the membership updated on state and local policy that may affect New York beef producers. You can also follow the legislative alerts on Twitter @NYBeefLeg. I will also be blogging …
I have been active posting interviews with New York Agri-Women and NCBA Young Producer Council members on other blogs over the last few weeks. In case you missed it, please check out my interview with: Cheryl Hellert, a Farm Credit East assistant from Albion, New York; Karen Barie-Keough, Cargill’s Northeast Region Retail Leader from Jamestown, New York; Diane Eggert from …
As I write this blog, there is a stack of directories from the Yellow Pages by my building’s front door on the Upper West Side. It has been sitting there for the last two days completely untouched while busy New Yorkers went to work and walked passed it coming home. Finally, this morning I decided to break open the package and …
Lawsuits are not the only way to solve legal disputes. I recommend that folks in the agriculture industry first consider alternative forms of dispute resolution including arbitration and mediation. The New York State Agricultural Mediation Program (“NYSAMP”) gives folks a cheaper alternative to litigation. NYSAMP offers mediations throughout the state at the Community Dispute Resolution Center (“CDRC”) at either a free or a very …
I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day! I spent my Labor Day having some good ol’ Texas BBQ and enjoying the street fair in Manhattan. Here are some links for your Labor Day reading: 1. I spent Sunday afternoon listening to the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Department of Justice public workshops. It is definitely worth a listen for livestock producers (particularly cattle folks). …