⋅ BY DREW VIGUET ⋅
NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LAW CENTER
Years of controversy, recent litigation and amended regulation of agricultural pesticides are changing and molding the farming landscape, including for the Mid-South region of the U.S.
The National Agricultural Law Center’s 10th Annual Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference “Early Bird” program will feature an update on the legal developments with pesticides. The session, “Pesticides in the Mid-South: Litigation and Regulatory Update,” will be presented by NALC Staff Attorney Brigit Rollins.
The online event is Wednesday, May 24, from 9 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. CDT. The program kicks off with the Mid-South conference keynote from Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, moderated by Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward, discussing international trade and the future of the ag industry. Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, agricultural law specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife, will then present a session on carbon leases.
Rollins, who specializes in environmental law as it intersects with agriculture, will present the session on pesticides for the third and final session of the online program.
Registration is online, and those attending should register by Tuesday, May 23 for access to the “Early Bird” program online on May 24.
“With recent litigation and regulation, agricultural producers and those in agricultural law should stay up to date on pesticides,” Rollins said. “While relevant to the Mid-South, issues related to dicamba and other pesticides in these legal battles yield results that impact the industry as a whole.”
Rollins will provide updates on dicamba, glyphosate, and give a walk-through of the EPA’s latest Endangered Species Act and Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act policy changes.
“Brigit has done excellent work for the NALC on pesticides, including multiple written materials and webinars as well,” NALC Director Harrison Pittman said. “She is an invaluable resource on environmental law, and this update on pesticides will be of interest to anyone in the ag industry.”
Sponsorship opportunities available
All net proceeds for the 10th Annual Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference will be devoted to establishing The Scott E. Fancher Agricultural Law Scholarship, honoring the life and legacy of Scott Fancher. More information on the scholarship can be found in a short video online. The NALC is seeking Mid-South conference sponsors, with an option of a “Friends of Scott” category. Those interested can contact Pittman directly at hmpittm@uark.edu.
Current sponsors of this year’s Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference include the NASDA Foundation, American Farm Bureau Federation, USDA National Agricultural Library, American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, the Mid-South Chapter of the American Society for Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, Roux, Inc., Mississippi Farm Bureau, Alabama Farmers Federation and Southern Ag Today.