2010 Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation Tentative Symposium Schedule

8:00 - 9:00 am: Registration and Breakfast

9:00 - 9:15 am: Welcome Message by Professor Mary Wood

9:15 - 10:30 am: Panel One: From Family Farms to Agribusiness - An Overview of the Development of Agricultural Policy and Practice

• This panel will provide an overview of the development of agricultural policy and practices. The panel will provide a framework for discussion of the topic by addressing themes including the commodification of natural resources, recent technological developments, and the global impact of current food and agricultural law and policy. The purpose of this panel is to offer a broad understanding of our topic and examining how the development of specific issues illustrate the evolution of food and agricultural policy.

• Speakers

Professor Bryan Endres - University of Illinois (participating via videoconference)

Professor Donna Byrne - William Mitchell College of Law

Professor Maxine Burkett - 2010 UO Wayne Morse Chair of Law and Politics; University of Hawaii

10:30 - 10:45 am: Morning Break

10:45 - 12:00pm: Panel Two: Food for Thought - Strategies for Advocacy

• This panel will explore a few of the many current topics of litigation and advocacy in food and agricultural law and policy. Panelists will focus on the types of clients represented in the field and the challenges attorneys face when negotiating client goals. The purpose of this panel is to introduce different litigation theories that have been used to addresses food and agricultural issues.

• Speakers

Attorney Charles Tebbutt - Eugene, Oregon

Professor Neal Fortin - Michigan State University (participating via videoconference)

Attorney Kenneth Odza - Stoel Rives in Seattle, Washington

12:00 - 1:30pm: Lunch and Lunch Keynote

Thoughts on Affecting Change: Reconsidering the Industrialization of Global Agriculture
Keynote Speaker: Professor Susan Schneider, Director of Agricultural Law LLM program at University of Arkansas

Industrialized agriculture can be defined by its three main characteristics: the large scale production of a specialized, uniform product; the use of technology to achieve increased production at a decreased per unit production cost; and, vertical integration, with control over all stages of production by the processor.

While this system has increased the quantity of U.S. and worldwide production of specific products, it has also created serious problems. Acknowledging these problems and assessing the true cost of industrialized agricultural production presents a challenge for the future. In meeting this challenge, the profitability of industrialized agricultural industries and the spread of industrialized agriculture to developing countries will need to be considered. A combined approach that relies on the calculation of external costs, regulation and incentives to assure sustainability, and corporate social responsibility will be needed.

1:30 - 2:45 pm: Panel Three: Legal Ethics in Agriculture - Agribusiness Accountability

• This panel will address the challenges attorneys face when balancing client goals with agricultural regulations. The various methods attorneys use when representing different types of clients will be discussed, specifically encouraging corporate clients to comply with environmental regulations. Additionally, the panel will examine the role of advocates in navigate complex legal issues that require balancing the requirements of private and public rules and regulations with client goals.

• Speakers

Professor Anthony Schutz - University of Nebraska (participating via videoconference)

Attorney Kate Moore - Dunn, Carney, Allen, Higgins, & Tongue in Portland, Oregon

2:45 - 3:00 pm: Afternoon Break

3:00 - 4:15 pm: Panel Four: Planting Seeds of Change - Exploring Sustainable Food and Agricultural Policies

• This panel will explore the role of advocates in the creation of new ideas in food production and agricultural policy. The significance of the legal system in the development of sustainable alternatives to current commercial agricultural practices will be addressed. The purpose of the panel is to discuss how recent trends have resulted in a wave of local movements working to develop sustainable agricultural practices, and how legal changes can provide incentives to nurture this developing field.

• Speakers

Professor Mary Wood - University of Oregon

Andy Fisher - Executive Director of Community Food Security Coalition

Attorney Kenneth Miller - Law for Food

4:15 - 5:00pm: Closing Keynote

• Farms, Food and the Future: Legal Issues and Fifteen Years of the New Agriculture
  Keynote Speaker: Professor Neil Hamilton - Director of Agricultural Law Center at Drake University

Fifteen years ago in an article Tending the Seeds: The Emergence of a New Agriculture in the U.S. in the inaugural issue of the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law (1996), Professor Hamilton set out a vision for a new food system he saw emerging in the U.S., one based on growing demand for local food production, using food policy councils to craft laws to support healthy food production and vibrant communities, and creating new opportunities for people to farm and steward the land. For the last 15 years he has had a front row seat working with many of the organizations and political leaders helping make this vision a reality. His writings and lectures have helped lay the foundation for new programs and policies to support the new agriculture. His talk will examine some of the developments over the last 15 years shaping the growth of the new agriculture. He will discuss current legal developments that will determine America’s farm and food future and describe opportunities for lawyers and law students to influence their direction.

For more information please contact Holly Hayman.

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