The month of June has brought us a steady stream of news and developments in the world of agricultural law, and staff at the National Agricultural Law Center have kicked up the pace. From webinars to blog posts to media interviews, check out what the Center has been up to the month of June.

Publications

Regulations & Requirements for Grain Dealers: Grain dealers, those who buy, receive, exchange or store grain from growers, are regulated very differently from state to state. In some places, the state does not regulate the business at all, while in others, regulation includes everything from licensing to bonding, from statutory liens to state auditing of the dealer’s books. This state-by-state compilation, recently updated by Center researchers, outlines statutory requirements affecting grain dealers.

Webinars

Slaughter and Processing in the United States: Oversight and Requirements: In this webinar Senior Staff Attorneys Rusty Rumley and Elizabeth Rumley discussed oversight and requirements for meat slaughter and processing in the U.S. The discussion covered the general outline of authority for the slaughter and processing of meat and poultry in the U.S., the differences between state and federal processing oversight, including custom slaughter, proposed federal legislation that might change processing requirements, and additional challenges facing small meat processors. Find a recording of this webinar here.

COVID-19, Agriculture & the Law: Taking Stock of the Road Ahead and Behind: On June 17^th, Center Director Harrison Pittman led a webinar discussing the latest updates on major developments relating to COVID-18 and agriculture. In this webinar, Harrison touched on state proposals to shield processors from liability, the April 28th Executive Order on Food Supply Chain Resources, key litigation and much more. Find a recording of this webinar here.

The Deal with Dicamba: Examining the Ninth Circuit’s Decision and Its Potential Impacts: In light of the recent developments regarding dicamba herbicides, Staff Attorney Brigit Rollins held another “Deal with Dicamba” webinar. In this webinar, Brigit discussed the Ninth Circuit’s decision, EPA’s Cancellation Order, the actions that the parties have taken since, and what the outcome of these actions could mean for dicamba use. Find a recording of this webinar here, and a recording of her first dicamba webinar held 4/15 here.

Blog posts:

• The Deal with Dicamba: Ninth Circuit Vacates EPA Registration
• The Deal with Dicamba: EPA Issues Cancel Order for Dicamba Herbicides
• The Deal with Dicamba: Plaintiffs Challenge EPA Cancellation Order
• Label Free: Court Concludes No Warning Label for Glyphosate

Outreach

• This month the Center hosted its seventh annual Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference. The conference, typically held in Memphis, TN at the Cecil C. Humphreys University of Memphis Law School, was hosted online due to the pandemic. The conference addressed the unique challenges that impact agriculture in the Mid-South, covering a variety of topics including crop insurance, ag finance and credit and the potential ag law and regulatory environment after the 2020 elections. Conference materials are available

• Staff Attorney Brigit Rollins and Center Director Harrison Pittman provided several interviews to media outlets providing quotes and background on the recent developments regarding dicamba herbicides. As a result of these interviews, they were quoted in the following articles:
  • Dicamba’s Future is Shaky – Is Enlist Next on the Chopping Block?
  • Broader pesticide implications expected from dicamba ruling
  • Dicamba use is in EPA’s corner
  • Amid Chaotic Dicamba Ruling, Some Say Farmers’ Herbicide Options Were Already Dwindling