The LL.M. Program in Agricultural & Food Law

This is the blog of the LL.M. Program in Agricultural & Food Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law. We study the law of food and agriculture from farm to fork, from the perspective of the farmer, the retailer, and the consumer. Concern about the safety and sustainability of the global food system makes agricultural and food law studies one of the most vibrant areas of legal practice and policy analysis. Read about our program, our candidates and our alumni.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Alli Condra Accepts Fellowship at Harvard

We are delighted to report that recent LL.M. graduate, Allison Condra has accepted a fellowship position with Harvard Law School's Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation. She will work with the Center’s Food Law and Policy Clinic on a broad range of federal, state, and local policy projects "to increase access to nutritious food for poor and low-income individuals and families, reduce diet-related diseases, and maximize small farmers’ access to food markets." She will report to clinic director, Emily Broad Lieb, a recognized new leader in the food policy arena.

The Food Law & Policy Clinic at Harvard has been involved in a wide range of work, including outreach and training for state and national government officials and community groups. They recently published the Good Laws, Good Food Toolkit for Putting Local Food Policy to Work for Our Communities.

Alli received her B.A. from California Lutheran University (Interdisciplinary Studies in Pre-Naturopathic Medicine) and her J.D. with High Honors from Drake University Law School, earning a Certificate in Food & Agricultural Law. Alli was with us in the LL.M. Program during the 2011-2012 academic year as the recipient of the Marler Clark Graduate Assistantship. This assistantship allowed her to write articles for the acclaimed online newspaper, Food Safety News sponsored by Marler Clark. Alli completed her final article, Food Sovereignty in the United States: Supporting Local and Regional Food Systems, this summer and received her LL.M. degree in August.

Congratulations, Alli - we know you will accomplish great things!

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LL.M. Events

Upcoming Events & Announcements

While most of our class is in place, we are still accepting Applications for Fall 2013. Visit the LL.M. Program website for more information and go to How To Apply to learn about our application process and download the form. There are only a few places left, so apply soon.

Orientation for the new class is tentatively scheduled for August 20, 2013.

Congratulations to the LL.M. Class of 2013. We celebrated their accomplishments at our graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 18. We are very proud of their work this year and their many accomplishments. We welcome them into the our community of LL.M. alumni.

Specialized LL.M. Courses offered Spring Semester:

Agricultural Perspectives

Legal Issues in Agricultural & Food Law

Legal Research & Writing

International Agricultural Trade

Agricultural Water Law

Agricultural Labor Law

Regulated Markets in Agriculture

Recent LL.M. Program Events

Spring Semester Guest Speakers, in person and by video conference included:

Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, presenting to a combined class of LL.M. students and Professor Mike Thomsen's Agricultural Marketing class.

Dr. Francis Thicke, Organic Dairy Farmer, Agronomist/Soil Scientist, Member of the National Organic Standards Board, and author of Ecology as a Model for Sustainable Agriculture in the 21st Century

Dr. David Wallinga, Senior Advisor in Science, Food and Health, Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy

Professor Bryan Endres, University of Illinois, member of the Board of Directors of the American Agricultural Law Association and noted food and agricultural law author

Dr. Richard Raymond, former Undersecretary for Food Safety, USDA (2005-2008); food safety and public health consultant

David Grahn, Associate General Counsel for International Affairs, Food Assistance, and Farm and Rural Programs in the Office of General Counsel of the USDA

Professor Jeannie Whayne, University of Arkansas History Professor, author of numerous books on the history of southern agriculture, including Delta Empire.

Professor John Marcy, University of Arkansas Extension Food Specialist, Center of Excellence in Poultry Science.

Regular Spring Semester classes began January 14, with the opportunity for a condensed course the week of January 7, 2013. Doing Business in China and Environmental Toxic Torts are the two optional condensed courses offered January 7-11, 2013.

2012-2013 LL.M. Program Condensed Courses:

Farm Policy & the Federal Budget - A View from D.C. November 12-13, 2012; Professor David Grahn, Associate General Counsel for International Affairs, Food Assistance, and Farm and Rural Programs in the Office of General Counsel, USDA

Bill Marler Public Address: The “Rocky Ford” Listeria Cantaloupe Outbreak – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - How a Fruit Killed 33 Americans
November 9, 2012

1:00 - 1:50 p.m. CLE credit approved in Arkansas

Room 339, University of Arkansas School of Law

Food Safety Litgation-November 8-9, 2012; Professor Bill Marler, Marler Clark, LLP

Federal Farm Programs - October 29 - November 1, 2012; Professor Allen Olson, Law Office of Allen H. Olson

Selected Issues in Food Law - October 1-2; Professor Peter Barton Hutt, Food & Drug Law Professor at Harvard Law School; Senior Counsel at Covington & Burling

American Agricultural Law Association Annual Symposium, Madison, Wisconsin, October 31-November 2, 2013. The LL.M. Program always has a high profile at this excellent conference. This coming year, Professors Susan Schneider, Neil Hamilton, and David Grahn will again be speakers, along with many of our alumni.

Our LL.M. Alumni Reunion was held on August 24, 2012, along with a continuing legal education event.

Emerging Issues in Agricultural Law, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, August 24, 2012 - 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Neil Hamilton, Dwight D. Opperman Chair of Law & Professor of Law, Drake University Law School; Director, Drake Agricultural Law Center

Janie Hipp, USDA Senior Advisor for Tribal Relations and the founding director of the USDA Office of Tribal Relations

Terry Centner, Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Georgia

The LL.M. Program in Agricultural & Food Law

Agricultural & Food Law

Agricultural Law includes the network of special laws that apply to the production, marketing, and sale of the food we eat. It provides the fundamental framework for our food system.

As more consumers seek to learn about where their food comes from and how it is produced, there has been a greater demand for an integrated study of the law of food and agriculture. We are uniquely prepared to meet this demand.

We study the full spectrum of agricultural and food law from the perspective of the farmer, the processor, the retailer, and the consumer, all with the overlay of concerns for sustainability.

Three words summarize our approach: Food, Farming, & Sustainability.