Ohio Agricultural Law Blog–National Ag Law Center to host Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference

Written by Evin Bachelor, Law Fellow, OSU Extension Agricultural & Resource Law Program

As fans of Elvis and good barbeque, we can’t help but be excited that the National Agricultural Law Center (NALC) is hosting its sixth annual Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference soon in Memphis, Tennessee.  Most exciting, however, is that the conference will provide timely legal information for attorneys, lenders, accountants, tax professionals, students and others with a passion for agriculture.  The NALC is the nation's leading source of agricultural and food law research and information, and we are honored to partner with NALC on a number of research projects and outreach efforts.

The 2019 conference will be on Friday, June 7th in downtown Memphis at the University of Memphis School of Law.  You won’t want to miss the welcome reception on Thursday, June 6th at The Rendezvous Restaurant, which is well known for its Memphis-style BBQ.  The schedule on Friday is packed with a diverse mix of speakers and topics that is intended to encourage dialog about the range of legal issues facing agriculture today.

Here’s a sneak peek at the sessions:

• Keynote address by the USDA’s General Counsel Stephen Vaden
• Agricultural Labor and Immigration: Do’s and Don’ts--Brandon Davis of Phelps Dunbar LLP
• Updates from the senior attorneys from the U.S. House and Senate Ag Committees
• Law and Lending in a Down Farm Economy: Recent Trends and Outlooks with Greg Cole of AgHeritage Farm Credit Services and Michael O’Neal of GreenStone Farm Credit Services
• Navigating Environmental Law Issues for Attorneys, Lenders, and Landowners--Jim L. Noles, Jr., Partner, Barze Taylor Noles Lowther, LLC
• The Ethics of Succession Planning for Lawyers--Shannon Ferrell, Oklahoma State University
• Understanding Ag Bankruptcy--Stephen L. Gershner, Davidson Law Firm

In addition to the presentations, there will be time for discussion with conference attendees during the welcome reception on Thursday and a lunch and networking session on Friday.  For law practitioners, the conference has been approved for CLE credit in some states and NALC will assist with obtaining CLE credit in other states.  The American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers has also approved the program for 7 hours of CE credit. 

Register by May 14 and receive access to a two-hour bonus online program that will feature a one hour session on Divorce on the Farm with attorney Cari Rincker and agricultural and environmental law updates from around the country by Elizabeth Rumley of NALC, Ross Pifer of the Center for Agricultural & Shale Law at Penn State Law, Stephanie Showalter Otts of the National Sea Grant Law Center and our own Peggy Kirk Hall of the Agricultural & Resource Law Program at The Ohio State University.

For more information about the conference and to register, visit the NALC’s website HERE.