The National Agricultural Law Center, a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, provides authoritative agricultural and food law research and information, serving public and private sector stakeholders throughout the United States.
The Center’s website contains research and information in the agricultural, food, and environmental law fields. More than 50 subject specific “Reading Rooms” cover a wide array of topics including Animal Feeding Operations, Aquaculture, CAA, CWA, Climate Change, Industrial Hemp, Landowner Liability, Local Food Systems, Sustainable Agriculture, Water Law, etc.
The Center also produces the Ag & Food Law Blog and Publications such as white papers, factsheets and factsheet series, issue briefs, State Law Compilations covering various topics, and more.
Three of NALC's resources are described below.
Topic-based Reading Rooms provide links to major statutes, regulations, case law, NALC research articles, government publications, etc. Many of the topics are focused on food and agriculture. Each Room also provides an overview of the subject with a thumbnail sketch of the history and development of the subject, and links to other Reading Rooms.
A sampling of Reading Rooms that may be of particular interest, focusing on food and/or agriculture include: Agritourism, Animal Feeding Operations, Commodity Programs, Food Safety, Local Food Systems, Indigenous Food and Agriculture, Nutrition Programs, etc.
A sampling of Reading Rooms related to, but not focused exclusively on food and agriculture include: Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Climate Change, Estate Planning and Taxation, Labor, etc.
NALC research publications are a vital part of the Center’s mission to conduct objective research into agricultural and food law issues and to provide their scholarship to the agricultural and food law communities.
The articles (many of which are similar to the Reading Room Topics) are organized into large topical areas including: Agricultural Leases/Contracts, Agritourism, Bankruptcy, Business Organizations/Cooperatives, Estate Planning & Taxation, Financials, Food Safety, Landowner Liability, Pesticides, Renewable Energy, Water Law, etc.
This Bibliography, updated quarterly, is organized through the use of close to 50 legal subject categories. The entries derive primarily from law journals, law reviews, and legal periodicals that publish articles, comments, notes, and developments related to agricultural and food law. Full text is available for some of the entries.
You can Browse Categories such as Animal Rights, Biotechnology, Cooperatives, Food & Drug Law, Hunger & Food Security Issues, Leases, Sustainable and Organic Farming, Water Rights, etc. for articles included in the Bibliography.
You can also use the Search function to search, by key words or phrases, for articles by NALC staff.