I hope all my readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I spent the holiday here in NYC. I am looking forward to visiting family in Illinois over the Christmas holiday. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to be surrounded by friends and family and be reminded of all the things in life you are thankful for. It is also a nice day …
National Agriculture Law Center’s GIPSA Workshop
The final National Agriculture Law Center‘s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (“GIPSA”) workshop on the proposed rules will be tonight in Poteau, Oklahoma, at the LeFlore County Fairgrounds from 6-9pm. For those of you who cannot make it (like myself), I highly recommend reviewing the GIPSA handout and powerpoint presentation. Both give an excellent overview the statutory authority (including …
Heading to Nebraska for the AALA Conference
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 …
Labor Day Links
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). …
Livestock Animal Cruelty Law Article
I recently wrote a livestock animal cruelty article addressing farm animal welfare issues in New York. The article discusses five defensive moves that New York livestock producers should make to help prevent criminal prosecution. Though the article is state specific, the article is informative to livestock producers all over the country. If you would like specific information on livestock animal …
A Handshake Just Won’t Cut It
Farmers and ranchers are constantly dealing with family, friends, and people that they have had a business relationship with for years and years. Because of these long-term relationships, it is easy for farmers and ranchers to trust the other party in this type of business transaction. It is not rare for farmers to make oral contracts with one another with …
Part III: Debrief from NYFB Farm Animal Welfare Conference
At the recent New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) Farm Animal Welfare Conference, Kay Johnson Smith from the Animal Agriculture Alliance was one of the keynote speakers. I was extremely impressed by her poise and presence. I love seeing such powerful, articulate women in the forefront of agriculture issues in Washington. The underlying theme of Ms. Smith’s talk was that those …
Looking for Some Ag Tweeps?
Good, bad, or indifferent, social media is everywhere. . . especially in the agriculture industry right now. Mike Haley (a.k.a. @FollowFarmer and @FarmerHaley), a Simmental cattle producer in Ohio, compiled a significant list of all ag-focused tweeps on Twitter here. Both @CariRincker and @RinckerLaw are on this very expansive list of agriculture folks ranging from livestock producers to agriculture organizations, …
Livestock Producer’s Guide to FOIA
You may find a time when you may want to see the documents available to the public about yourself or your livestock operation. Maybe you want to see the files on your Confined Animal Feeding Operation (“CAFO”) or on your recent Forest Service (“FS”) livestock trespass ticket. Or possibly you would like information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers …