February Round-Up

As February ends, staff at the National Agricultural Law Center continue to bring trusted research and information in agricultural and food law to stakeholders across the country. Outlined below are many of the new NALC resources from the month of February.

Webinars

Stuck in the Swamp: Swampbuster Basics: When Congress passed the 1985 Farm Bill, they also put in place the Highly Erodible Lands and Wetlands Conservation program, with the goal of helping to conserve highly erodible lands and wetlands in agricultural areas. The idea was straightforward – make the receipt of certain USDA benefits contingent on not converting highly erodible lands or wetlands for agricultural use. In the decades since, the portion of the program that targets wetlands, known colloquially as “Swampbuster,” has been a particularly challenging program to implement. Swampbuster is especially important because participants in certain USDA programs are ineligible for program benefits if they convert wetlands for agricultural use. Find the recording and presentation slides of the webinar here.

Federal Crop Insurance: Legal Update & Latest Developments: This webinar was held on February 17th. Federal crop insurance is an integral part of producers’ risk management throughout the agricultural sector.  This webinar provided an update for producers, lenders, crop insurance agents, attorneys, and other affected stakeholders on the latest and most noteworthy legal developments regarding federal crop insurance. The program specifically addressed important case law and regulatory developments, as well as issues producers should consider in 2021. Find the recording and presentation slides of the webinar here.

Blog Posts

Outreach

  • Senior Staff Attorney Rusty Rumley testified before the Vermont Agriculture Committee on agritourism on February 5th.

 

Share: