There has been a lot of talk lately about WOTUS (or “Waters of the United States”). This post gives a brief overview about what the heck is going on… In way of background, the United States government introduced the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972 in order to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s …
My National Overview of Agriculture Law
[slideshare id=53657806&doc=powerpoint-keynote-151007171431-lva1-app6892] This presentation was given as the keynote at the Tennessee College of Law’s Agriculture Law & Policy Symposium a few weeks ago. It covers a myriad of food and agriculture law topics including Veterinary Feed Directive, Waters of the United States, Syngenta Litigation, GMO Labeling, Country of Origin Labeling, Raw Milk, Food Safety Modernization Act, Idaho’s Ag Gag …
Laws Regulating Water in New York Agriculture
The Federal Clean Water Act (“CWA”) was enacted in 1972 with the goal of protecting the country’s waterways from pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) is charged with enforcing the CWA at the federal level. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (“DEC”) works at the state level to protect New York’s water resources. While states must adhere to the …
Overview of the Environmental Protection Agency
I’m currently conducting a blog series where each week I give a brief overview of the responsibilities of a government agency regulating our food and agriculture system. I think it’s a helpful reminder for everyone on just how complex our regulatory system really is. It’s a game of Who’s Who for government players in the U.S. food and agriculture economy. …
Pace Law School’s Environmental Law Summer Program with Food and Agriculture Law
As I noted in this post, I will be teaching Survey to Food and Agriculture Law this summer from July 1-5, 2013 at Pace University, School of Law. I wanted to give my readers information on the entire environmental law program. After looking at the entire course schedule, I’m in aw of the great job that my alum has done. …
Registration Form Available for Local Food Law Seminar at Pace Law School
The registration form is available for the Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) Seminar at Pace Law School in White Plains, New York on Monday, October 29th on a survey of local food law. It is open to the public and the general admission is only $15. There will be approximately 20 minutes or so of Q & A so come ready …
My Path Becoming an Agriculture Lawyer in New York City
Last month, I spoke to a group of Texas 4-H kids at a Texas A & M University via Skype about my work as an agriculture lawyer in New York City. I was asked to share a bit about my path and how I become an agriculture lawyer in the Big Apple. Here was my response: I grew up on …
Save the Date: Local Food Law Seminar at Pace Law School on October 29th
I’m excited to announce that I will be a faculty member for a Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) seminar at Pace University, School of Law (my alum) on Monday October 29th, 2012 from 6:00 to 8:30pm titled “Survey of Local Food.” Just as the title indicates, the speakers will be presenting on a myriad of practice areas affecting the local food …
So What Exactly Is “Big Ag?”
I spoke last month on sustainability in “Big Agriculture.” It got me thinking. What exactly is “Big Agriculture?” How do we define what is or is not “Big Ag?” And when did it become a bad name? Is it whether a farm is owned by a family or a corporation? 97% of farms are family owned. What if shareholders of …
ABA Agriculture Law Subcommittees
As I noted in this previous post, I am the new Chair of the American Bar Association (“ABA”), General Practice, Solo and Small Firm’s Division, Agriculture Law Committee. You can join the Committee and the Discussion List here. I have restructured the subcommittees as follows: 1. Ag ADR: mediation, arbitration 2. Ag Estate/Succession Planning, Family Law, and Taxation: estate planning,succession …
Livestock Feedyards and Potential Liability Issues
If you haven’t done so already, I suggest reviewing the “Livestock & Liability” article by Lauren P. Caggiano (@lcagg on Twitter) on pages 32-34 in this issue of the Feedlot magazine. In this article, I recommend that cattle feedyard operators seek counsel on environmental laws and perhaps hire a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (“CAFO”) consultant to devise a plan to …
Thanks to Pfizer, I Will Soon Be Using an iPad in the Courtroom
Last week at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (“NCBA”) Annual Convention and Trade Show, Pfizer Animal Health’s Beef Division (@Pfizer_Beef), the sponsor of Cattlemen’s College, had an iPad giveaway contest for someone who tweeted throughout the week. Thanks to Tweetdeck and HootSuite, I won the iPad giveaway. I have been lusting over the iPad for quite sometime, particularly since I …
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