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 …
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 …
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 …
Will Be Speaking at the 2011 NYFB Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference
I am very excited to be one of the speakers at the 2011 New York Farm Bureau (“NYFB”) Young Farmers & Ranchers (“YF&R”) Leadership Conference from March 11 to March 12 at the Holiday Inn in Syracuse/Liverpool, NY. This year’s theme is “Tradition and Technology.” I think this is a great topic as young agriculture producers and business people struggle …
New York State Agriculture Society Meeting in Syracuse
I will be attending the 179th Annual New York State Agriculture Society (“NYSAG”) Meeting & Agriculture Forum in Syracuse, New York on January 6, 2011 at the Holiday Inn. This year’s theme is “Eat Local/Feed the World – Food Production for the Future.” It is a timely topic with the momentum of the local food movement in light of a growing world population. Food …
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 …
Completed the Beef Quality Assurance Producer Certification Manual
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 …
Why Do You Think Broadband Is Important for Rural America?
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 …
Back from Nebraska
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, …
What Is On My Bookshelf: Ag Book Club
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 …
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 …
New York State Agriculture Mediation Program
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 …