AMHERST, Mass — The University of Massachusetts Amherst Stockbridge School of Agriculture is offering a fully online class for farmers and land managers to help navigate the complexities of local, state and federal laws which impact their ability to farm. Farmers are expected to be many things; marketer, manager, accountant, etc. A maze of laws and regulations can make a farmer wonder if she or he needs to be a lawyer as well.
This online winter course, which runs from December 26 to January 19, 2019, will demystify key areas of law for the direct to consumer, organic, and small-scale farmer as well as their advocates and advisors. STOCKSCH 297FL – Introduction to Food and Ag Law, provides an overview of the federal and state laws that a New England farmer is likely to encounter.
Participants in the class will make sense of the federal and state agencies interacting with agriculture, through statutes, regulations, and government programs. The course will address the fundamentals of farm employment law, food safety, business entities, land use matters, farm financing, injury liability, agritourism, and sales issues. At the end of the course, participants will be in a better position to assess in their own businesses and determine when they may be able to resolve their own legal issues and when it may be wise to rely upon outside legal counsel.
The course is taught by Rachel Armstrong, founder and Executive Director of Farm Commons, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing proactive legal education materials to sustainable farmers. Rachel is a sought-after instructor who makes the law and interesting to farmers and attorneys alike. She earned her law degree from the University of Denver.
All online classes offered as part of the Sustainable Food and Farming Program at UMass Amherst are college level classes that may be transferred to other universities or count toward the 15-credit Certificate in Sustainable Food and Farming or either the fully online Associate of Science or Bachelor of Science degrees offered by UMass. Online classes cost $482 per credit and more information on this class is available at: https://onlinesustfoodfarm.com/ag-law/.
–University of Massachusetts Amherst
Stockbridge School of Agriculture
For more articles out of New England, click here.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt. — The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at Vermont Law and Graduate School and national advocacy organization Farmworker Justice have released a report entitled “Exposed and At Risk: Opportunities to Strengthen Enforcement of Pesticide Regulations for Farmworker Safety,” which analyzes the regulatory structure currently being used to protect farmworkers from the dangers of […]
INDIANAPOLIS — Winners of the National FFA Agricultural Sales Career Development Event (CDE) were announced Oct. 29 at the 94th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis. Mrs. Theresa Noll from Indiana served as superintendent of the event. The top ten individuals and the national winning team members received cash awards to recognize their success […]
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Solar Law Symposium: Utility-Scale Solar Development For Lawyers, Landowners, & Others is an online legal educational symposium presented by the Center for Agricultural and Shale Law at Penn State Law, Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research, Penn State Dickinson Law, and Penn State Extension. It will take place Tuesday, […]
