7th Annual Mid-South Ag/Environmental Conference moves online; will benefit new law fellowship
By Sarah Cato
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts
- National Agricultural Law Center will host its seventh annual Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference online
- Conference will be June 4-5, 2020
- Register online at: http://bit.ly/2S97qCn
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The annual Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference will look a little different in 2020 for two reasons: it's moving online in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, and conference proceeds will benefit a new fellowship for law students.
The NALC has traditionally hosted the conference each year in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Cecil C. Humphreys University of Memphis School of Law, but the current pandemic has caused a change of plans.
“We know that this conference is very valuable to many of our past attendees,” said Harrison Pittman, Director of the NALC. “Although we had to eliminate the face-to-face aspect of the conference, we ultimately decided it was too important to cancel.”
Now in its seventh year, the Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference will address the unique challenges that impact agriculture in the Mid-South. It will cover a variety of topics including crop insurance and ag finance and credit, and take a look at the potential ag law and regulatory environment after the 2020 elections.
Topics and speakers include:
Thursday, June 4
- Ag Lending & Financial Outlook: A Mid-South Lender’s Perspective—Greg Cole, President and CEO of AgHeritage Farm Credit Services
- Ag Finance, Credit & Bankruptcy: Pointers and Pitfalls for Attorneys, Lenders and Landowners—Wes Boyer, Partner at Boyer Terry
- The Times They are a Changin’?: Ag Law & Regulatory Environment Post-2020 Elections—Autumn Veazey Price, Director of Government Relations for Land O’Lakes, Inc. and Hunt Shipman, Principal and Director for Cornerstone Government Affairs
Friday, June 5
- Anatomy of a Historic NRCS Wetlands Dispute Victory: Lessons Learned and Top Practice Pointers—Michael Cooley, Partner at Allen Wellman McNew Harvey, LLP
- Legal Ethics in Dealing with the Government: Lobbying, Gifts and Related Considerations—Amanda Jones Tollison, Partner at Butler Snow and President of the Mississippi Bar Association
- Latest and Greatest in Federal Crop Insurance and Farm Programs—Grant Ballard, Partner at Ark Ag Law, PLLC
“This conference is one of the many ways we provide timely and practical information to many in the agricultural industry,” Pittman said. “Our premiere line-up of speakers have agreed to move to the online format, and I look forward to hearing their presentations.”
The conference is scheduled for June 4 and 5, from noon to 3:10 p.m. each day. It will feature six hours of continuing education credit, one hour of which will be ethics. Individuals who register by May 18 will receive two “bonus” hours of general online continuing education credit. These bonus hours will provide an ag and food law update, as well as an overview of current legal issues in industrial hemp production.
Fellowship support
Available net proceeds from the conference will be used to help support the Scott E. Fancher Agricultural Law Research Fellowship.
“This fellowship was created to honor the legacy of Scott E. Fancher who was a dear friend to the Center and an overall friend to agriculture,” Pittman said. “The Fancher Fellowship will be available to eligible law students annually beginning in the fall of 2020.”
To learn more about the Fancher Fellowship, visit: https://bit.ly/FancherFellowship.
Registration, along with more information on the conference, can be found at: http://bit.ly/2S97qCn.
For more information on the National Agricultural Law Center, visit https://nationalaglawcenter.org/ or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter.
About the National Agricultural Law Center
The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. The Center works with producers, state and federal policymakers, Congressional staffers, attorneys, land grant universities, and many others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information to the nation’s agricultural community.
The Center is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact 479-575-4607 as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media Contact:
Sarah Cato
National Agricultural Law Center
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
sscato@uark.edu
870-815-9035