By Drew Viguet
National Agricultural Law Center
U of A System Division of Agriculture
June 4, 2025
Fast facts:
- Impact of SCOTUS Chevron decision on ag discussed at annual Western
- Environmental law experts will present
- Registration is online, livestream available
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Federal agencies have a significant impact on agriculture in the Western United States, and the effects of a landmark Supreme Court decision on the scope of agency authority will be highlighted at the Western Water, Ag, and Environmental Law Conference.
Brigit Rollins, staff attorney at the National Agricultural Law Center, or NALC, and Lauren J. Caster, director at Fennemore, will discuss the implications of last year’s decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo during the third annual Western conference. The Supreme Court’s decision in the case overturned the “Chevron doctrine,” which said that courts should generally defer to a federal agency’s own interpretation of its rules when a litigant challenges that agency’s interpretation of its own rule.
“Under Chevron, courts typically deferred to federal agencies’ interpretations of statutes when parties challenged that agency’s action in court,” said Rollins. “Now, courts are no longer required to defer to agency interpretations. Instead, judges will interpret statutes and agencies will not necessarily have the final say in how those statutes are interpreted.”
The session, “Ag, Food, and Federal and State Agency Deference in a Post-Chevron World,” will explore the short and long-term implications of the Supreme Court’s decision.
“Producers and agricultural stakeholders across the West will need to understand how Loper Bright affects judicial scrutiny of the agencies they interact with and the decisions those agencies make,” said Caster. “The fog is beginning to clear.”
The conference will be held June 19-20 in Reno, Nevada. It is hosted by the NALC as well as the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation, or NASDA Foundation.
“Agriculture is arguably the most heavily regulated industry in the country,” said NALC Director Harrison Pittman. “Thus, any change in the scope of agency authority has a major impact on the ag industry, with unique implications for the ag industry in Western states.”
Registration for the Western conference, which includes a livestream option, is available online at nationalaglawcenter.org/western2025.
“Brigit and Larry have phenomenal backgrounds in agricultural, environmental, and natural resources law that uniquely positions them to tackle this topic,” Pittman said. “They will bring insight to attendees about what it all means thus far, as well as looking at the years ahead.”
To read the full news release, click here.