News

On November 6, 2020, in an article relating to Environmental Protection Agency policy changes affecting pesticides, Progressive Farmer quoted staff attorney Brook Duer. The article, EPA, States Clash Over Pesticides, explains the new EPA requirement that states must follow in order to restrict dicamba or other federal pesticides. According to the article’s author, Emily Unglesbee, this abrupt change may make it impossible for states to develop dicamba spray season limits

Recordings to our Quarterly Dairy Update have been published to our YouTube Channel.  This webinar commenced a quarterly series of such webinars to be held at the conclusion of each calendar quarter. We start with a 30-minute round-up of the past quarter’s legal and regulatory developments impacting the dairy industry and then move to a 30-minute focused topic of interest to dairy producers and professionals.

The recording of the webinar is divided into two parts. The first part is the round-up portion of the webinar and will examine recent developments in federal and, where […]

On October 27, 2020, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law hosted the first of a quarterly webinar series, Quarterly Dairy Industry Legal Update. The first half of the webinar was presented by staff attorney Brook Duer who provided an overview of recent legal developments impacting the dairy industry. The second half of the webinar included an in depth discussion with Marvin Beshore on the purpose, objectives, and impact of Federal Milk Marketing Order 51. 

Recordings of Center presentations can be found on our YouTube Channel.

Per Morning Ag Clips:

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law and Penn State Extension announce the creation of the Pennsylvania Farm Employers’ Listserv (PFEL) discussion group. The PFEL is an email networking and resource-sharing group specifically tailored to agricultural labor issues for those with human resources responsibilities at agricultural operations. In this forum, farm employers can exchange information and resources to better prepare them to do their jobs confidently and efficiently, keep up on the latest news and developments, and learn how to best comply with legal requirements from state and federal laws […]

On September 25, 2020, Brook Duer participated as a presenter on the topic of solar leasing for attorneys as part of a continuing legal education on-line course conducted by Penn State Dickinson Law titled, Local Law for Solar Project Development in Pennsylvania.

Earlier this week, on September 23, 2020, Brook Duer participated as a presenter for a Penn State Extension webinar on legal liability related to herbicide drift. The webinar was entitled, Integrated Vegetative Management – Proactive Approaches to Prevent & Respond to Non-Target Crop Injury from Herbicides by Applicators. This […]

On September 16, 2020, Ross Pifer gave a presentation on behalf of the National Agricultural Law Center. The presentation was entitled, Right to Repair Statutes: Overview, Issues Presented, and Current Status of State Legislation, and is part of an ongoing webinar series with the NALC. In this webinar, Ross provided an overview of the Right to Repair issue, explaining the arguments for and against these statutes. In the second half of the webinar, Ross discussed the specific elements comprising current legislation and proposed legislation. 

On August 11, 2020, the Center presented the fourth in a series of webinars discussing COVID-19 Ag Legal Updates via Zoom, where Brook Duer was joined by Penn State Extension Educator Brian Moyer. They discussed third-party liability claims arising from COVID-19 transmission from person-to-person contact with customers and other persons with whom one does business. This webinar was the fourth in a planned series addressing legal developments related to the pandemic’s impact on agriculture. To see a recording of this webinar and our other webinars, subscribe to our YouTube channel or click on the links below:

On July 17, 2020, Ross Pifer was quoted in an article published by State Impact Pennsylvania entitled Are Gas Royalty Owners Buyers or Sellers? In a Court Fight Over Royalties, The Answer to That Question Could Make All the Difference to Landowners. This article discusses an ongoing case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in which the court is considering whether to apply Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law to oil and gas leases. The lawsuit alleges that landowners were deceived by misleading tactics employed by Chesapeake Energy and Anadarko Petroleum […]

On July 15, 2020, Brook Duer presented in the National Agricultural Law Center’s webinar, Agriculture District Programs: The First 50 Years. Will They Survive Another 50? Brook described the development of various forms of agricultural district programs and the benefits conferred on lands located within; outlined the states which have enacted such laws; compared various concepts and benefits within 16 states’ programs; and briefly discussed the future of such programs in the changing world of the 2020s.

Center staff frequently participate in the National Agricultural Law Center’s webinar series. More of […]