Quarterly Update – September 2018

Venable, a rising second-year law student at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, hopes to work in the environmental law field upon graduation. A member of the Food Law Society and the Environmental Law Society, she is currently pursuing a dual certification in cybersecurity and crisis management and environmental law. Naundorf, a recent graduate of the University of Maryland, will attend law school after taking a gap year. She graduated with a dual degree in animal sciences and economics, with a minor in global poverty.

The 2018 Brinsfield Interns spent the summer visiting local farms and speaking with individuals in the agricultural community to create a foundational knowledge of agricultural law. “Being able to interact with farmers out in the field allowed us to see, first-hand, the issues that affected the ag community,” Naundorf said.

They also assisted in creating a report to the Bay Cabinet on the issues raised at five regional Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) workshops. Additionally, they sat on an interdisciplinary Department of Natural Resources subcommittee analyzing the existing legal framework surrounding oyster theft and helped to formulate legal improvements to combat oyster theft on leased land.

“Working with the aquaculture subcommittee was an exciting opportunity to give the legal frameworks I studied in school a real-world application,” Venable said.

The interns also created a publication providing agricultural landowners and leaseholders with resources to better manage forest land on their farms. The publication outlines the economic and environmental benefits for farmers of working with foresters to manage the forested lands on their farms.

“The hands-on learning environment within the Hughes Center and ALEI provided a unique learning experience not a lot of internships can offer,” said Venable

“Working with ALEI and the Hughes Center was an experience I’m incredibly grateful for,” Naundorf said. “Through the summer internship, I was able to develop professional skills and explore fields in agriculture that I never previously considered.”

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“This year we are honored to have former U.S. Representative Wayne Gilchrest as our keynote speaker. As a former legislator and current environmental advocate, Mr. Gilchrest is the perfect person to share his thoughts on how we can best support Maryland’s farmers while protecting our state’s natural resources. I am also hoping he can share his insights on how the results of Election Day will shape the future of agricultural and environmental regulation.”

This year’s featured panels will touch on a broad range of topics, including legal conflicts and resolutions within Maryland’s aquaculture industry, chlorpyrifos and the legal landscape of pesticide regulation, developing topics in agricultural and environmental law, and the legalization of hemp farming in Maryland.

“The laws are always changing when it comes to the environment and agriculture, so this [conference] is one way that people can stay up to date on what’s happening and what legislation may arise in the future that may impact them,” ALEI Program Coordinator Kimberly Johnson said. “This year we are happy to offer scholarships to beginning farmers and Maryland pesticide applicator recertification credit. As in years past, we will offer Continuing Legal Education Credits for Delaware Attorneys.”

This year’s event will be held on Thursday, Nov. 8, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland.

For more information or to register, please visit https://go.umd.edu/aleiconf.

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These workshops will cover essential topics related to the farm succession process including basics of communication, retirement preparation, business planning, and estate planning tools. A variety of professionals in the field will lead the workshops, including agents and legal specialists from the University of Maryland Extension.

ALEI will present at two different sets of workshops this year. The first set, Transferring the Farm to the Next Generation, covers basic farm succession information, including how to ensure the next generation is prepared to take over the business, and how to start this conversation with your family. The second workshop series, Investing in Your Farm’s Future, will focus on the financial aspect of farm succession, according to Paul Goeringer, an extension legal specialist who has helped to plan and provide these workshops since 2014.

“Some of the workshops will dive into detail about financial management, retirement savings, and long-term healthcare, all topics that can help preserve the farm’s assets for the next generation,” said ALEI Extension Legal Specialist Kelly Nuckolls Winslow, who helped to plan theses workshops.

Dates and locations of the workshops are below.

Transferring the Farm to the Next Generation Workshops:

Nov. 26: Chesapeake College, Eastern Shore Higher Education Center, 1000 College Circle, Queenstown, MD 21658

Dec.6: Allegany College of Maryland, 12401 Willowbrook Rd, Cumberland, MD 21502

Dec. 12: Wicomico County Extension Office, 28647 Old Quantico Rd., Salisbury, MD 21801

Jan. 16: Howard County Fairgrounds, Dining Hall, 2210 Fairgrounds Rd, West Friendship, MD 21794

Jan. 17: Baltimore County Extension Office, 1114 Shawan Road, Cockeysville, MD 21030

To register online for Transferring the Farm to the Next Generation workshops visit the following link https://transfering-farm-to-the-next-gen-winter18.eventbrite.com

Investing in Your Farm’s Future Workshops:

Dec. 13: TBA, Talbot County

Jan. 31: PG County Soil Conservation District Office, 5301 Marlboro, Race Track Rd., Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

To register online for Investing in Your Farm’s Future workshops visit the following link

Please contact Paul Goeringer at lgoering@umd.edu with questions or for more information.

The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or natural origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, or gender identity and expression.

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2015-49200-24225.

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When it comes to leased farmland, it can be challenging for both landowners and farmers to use conservation practices. Such challenges include insufficient communication between landowners and farmers, a lack of knowledge on the part of the landowners about farming practices, and a lack of stability in the leasing relationship. To help farmers and landowners overcome these challenges, the resource contains both communication strategies and leasing techniques to help provide security in the leasing arrangement.

“The Guide builds upon the excellent information and leases in  Agricultural Leasing in Maryland and provides detailed lease language for specific conservation practices,” said Managing Director at the Francis King Carey School of Law, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Sarah Everhart. Everhart emphasized, “given the status of the Chesapeake Bay clean-up and the nutrient reduction targets the agricultural sector is expected to hit, it is more important than ever for landowners and farmers to implement conservation practices on leased farmland.”

The Guide is a vital part of the Agricultural Conservation Leasing Guide Education project funded by a three-year grant from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education (SARE) program. SARE is a program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The goal of the project is to equip agricultural service providers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to educate farmers and landowners on overcoming the challenges of using conservation practices on leased land. In addition to the Guide, the comprehensive education program includes an informational webinar and a series of five regional workshops. Click here for more information about the webinar and workshops.

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