Alex Sadzewicz is a student at the University of Maryland Francis K. Carey School of Law. Nathan McMullen is a student at the University of Maryland College Park. They are both guest contributors to this blog. The Environment Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) are the working lands programs from the United States Department of Agriculture…
Over last weekend, the Senate pulled an all-nighter to pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA or the Act), narrowly getting it across the line with a 51-50 vote. If passed by the House (which may happen today), it will enact the largest U.S. investment in the fight against climate change, with some commentators saying it will “change the world” and…
Asha McElroy is a Master of Public Health student at The University of Michigan and summer intern with the HLS Food Law & Policy Clinic. She is a guest contributor on the blog. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) provides funding to land-grant universities teaching the next generation of leaders in agriculture,…
Brooke Christy is a rising 3L at University of Pittsburgh School of Law and a guest contributor to this blog. When we recognize the contributions that colleges and universities have made in the agricultural sector, special thanks must be given to land-grant institutions. Land-grant institutions were created by Congress with the mission of democratizing agricultural education for the working class….
Tanya Shahjanian is a law student at NYU School of Law and guest contributor on this blog. As the COVID-19 pandemic—and the resulting economic instability—persist into the fall season, underserved populations in the United States continue to suffer financially. Food insecurity remains high, and millions of families continue to rely on various federal food assistance programs to get by. Fears…
Amy Allen is a law student at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and a guest contributor to this blog. On Wednesday, December 11, 2019, the House passed a bipartisan amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. The proposed legislation creates an opportunity for currently undocumented agricultural workers to obtain authorized work status…
The Senate passed its farm bill, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (S. 3042), on Thursday, June 28th. The bill is a mixed bag for efforts to build local, resilient agricultural systems that create meaningful opportunities for diverse farmers. FBLE’s report, Diversified Agricultural Economies, makes farm bill recommendations to achieve a more just farm system by ensuring socially disadvantaged farmers…
Today the Senate Agriculture Committee breezed through its mark up of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 and sent the draft farm bill to the full Senate on a vote of 20-1 (Senator Chuck Grassley, R-IA, voted “no”). The committee voted through a slate of amendments to the draft text released late last week. Dozens of amendments were incorporated into…
Senate Joins Farm Bill Fray Last Friday the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry released its draft farm bill, kicking off the Senate’s effort to pass new omnibus legislation before some provisions of the current law expire in September. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“AIA”), which arrives on the heels of the House’s failure to pass its own…
Last week 25 FBLE faculty, students, and staff descended on Capitol Hill to share our research and help Congress write a farm bill that creates opportunity for all farmers, provides a reliable safety net against hunger, and conserves the health of our shared natural resources. FBLE timed the trip to coincide with debate over the House farm bill, H.R. 2, which…