Nevada Ag Director Goicoechea to kick off Western Conference, moderate panel on state depts of ag
The panel features top legal counsel to ag departments from Montana, Arizona and California.
By Drew Viguet
National Agricultural Law Center
U of A System Division of Agriculture
May 13, 2024
Fast facts:
- First session at Western Conference focuses on state ag departments
- Panel moderated by Nevada Dept of Agriculture Director Goicoechea
- Conference registration is online
(490 words)
Download related photos of Goicoechea and session speakers
(Newsrooms: ‘Cort,’ ‘Baghdassarian,’ ‘Goicoechea,’ ‘Deanie’, ‘Reh,’ are all cq)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Every state has an agriculture department, and understanding those departments’ roles as a resource
for farmers on regulatory and other issues is something Cort Jensen wants to make
very clear.
Jensen, chief attorney for the Montana Department of Agriculture, will be one of the
opening session speakers for the 2nd Annual Western Agricultural & Environmental Law
Conference, which will be held June 13-14 at the University of Nevada, Reno.
The conference focuses on legal issues impacting the ag industry in Western states,
and is designed for attorneys, students and other ag professionals. A livestream option
is also available. Conference registration and agenda is online.
Jensen said his goal for the session, “State Ag Departments & the Regulation of Agriculture
and the Environment,” is for attendees to come away with solid advice and understanding
on how to interact with state departments of agriculture.
“It’s important that attendees understand how to go about these interactions,” he
said. “Whether the interaction be a routine ‘right to know’ request, a livestock issue,
or something else novel on the cutting edge of agriculture.”
J.J. Goicoechea, DVM, director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture, will welcome attendees and moderate the opening session. Joining Jensen are Haig Baghdassarian, deputy secretary
and chief counsel for the California Department of Food and Agriculture and Deanie Reh, assistant attorney general for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
“We’re very fortunate to have Director Goicoechea from the Nevada Department of Agriculture,
along with top legal counsel to agriculture departments from Montana, Arizona and
California,” said Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center,
the conference organizer.
Goicoechea said the Western Conference is a great resource to those in the Western
ag industry.
“The NALC team is a go-to resource for the ag community in Nevada and beyond, and
especially my agriculture department counterparts across the country,” Goicoechea
said. “We’re thrilled that they host this annual conference in Reno, and it’s an honor
to moderate this unique session.”
Pittman said the panel offers attendees one-of-a-kind insight into the operation and
regulatory scope of state agriculture departments.
“Haig, Deanie, Cort and Director Goicoechea are excellent. Attendees will walk away
from this session knowing a heck of a lot more about how to serve their clients and
stakeholders in the ag industry on a range of issues,” he said. “This panel is a really
fun and informative way to begin our 2nd Annual Western, setting the tone for more sessions on ag law and policy that are
pertinent to the West.”
Continuing education available
The Western Conference features 12 hours of continuing legal education credits, including
two hours of ethics. It has been approved for CLE in Nevada, Idaho and Utah, and will
be submitted for approval in Oregon, California and Arizona. The conference has also
been approved for continuing education by the American Society of Farm Managers and
Rural Appraisers. The NALC will coordinate with attendees to self-report in other
states.
For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit nationalaglawcenter.org or follow @Nataglaw on X. The National Agricultural Law Center is also on Facebook and LinkedIn.
For updates on agricultural law and policy developments, subscribe free of charge
to The Feed, the NALC’s twice-monthly newsletter highlighting recent legal developments facing
agriculture.
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 NALC 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 NALC 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. The Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work
within the nation’s historic land grant education system through the Agricultural
Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.
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 dviguet@uark.edu as
soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media contact:
Drew Viguet
Communications & Special Projects Coordinator
National Agricultural Law Center
dviguet@uark.edu