agriculture definition

I am looking forward to blogging about the robotic milking technology that Jim Chen @chenx064 tweeted about this week, and I will get to that first thing tomorrow. Today, I'd like to do a brief announcement / recruiting pitch. We have some exciting opportunities for recent law graduates and experienced attorneys who are interested in the subjects we write about in this blog -  agriculture, food, rurality, sustainability, natural resources, and the environment. I am sure that Agricultural Law readers will agree that there are fascinating, important, and incredibly complex issues in this area. The LL.M. Program in Agricultural & Food Law is pleased to announce an  expanded curriculum that includes new courses on emerging issues such as urban agriculture, food justice, and local/regional foods. Changes in the 2014 Farm Bill, including the farm programs, crop insurance, enhanced support for organic agriculture, and the nutrition programs are incorporated throughout our curr...

This short video makes an excellent point, and it makes me even more proud that we have embarked on our Food Recovery Project. For food recovery resources, visit the Food Recovery Project blog or our Food Recovery Project website .

Yesterday, General Mills posted an announcement on their website by Kirstie Foster, titled, We�ve Listened � and We�re Changing Our Legal Terms Back .   Bill Marler blogged about it on Food Safety News with his Publisher�s Platform article, I�m having Cheerios for Breakfast; General Mills Decides to Focus on Food Safety Instead of Litigation . General Mills had initially announced new legal terms that attempted to force consumers with any type of complaint into commercial arbitration. Consumers would have legally agreed to this limitation on their basic rights to go to court simply by accepting an online coupon from the General Mills website. The new policy was first reported in the New York Times article, When �Liking� a Brand Online Voids the Right to Sue by Stephanie Strom.  It was picked up by several other media outlets, Bill Marler blogged about it on Food Safety News, General Mills: You Can't Sue Me! , and we posted about it on Agricultural Law,   General Mills: B...

In recent years, there has been a flurry of legislative efforts to protect the image of farm and food products. For example, "ag gag" statutes provide a form of heightened legal protection from potential lawsuits.  General Mills has taken a different route. It has developed an innovative self-help strategy to lure its customers into signing away any right to sue them.  And, it is causing a stir across the internet. As explained in the New York Times, April 16, 2014 -   When �Liking� a Brand Online Voids the Right to Sue by Stephanie Strom -   Might downloading a 50-cent coupon for Cheerios cost you legal rights?  General Mills, the maker of cereals like Cheerios and Chex as well as brands like Bisquick and Betty Crocker, has quietly added language to its website to alert consumers that they give up their right to sue the company if they download coupons, �join� it in online communities like Facebook, enter a company-sponsored sweepstakes or contest or interact ...

I will be curious to hear how many people make a connection with the subject of this post. It was the marketing phrase and song for Minnesota-based Hamms Beer , a classic cheap light beer made by a Minnesota company that was acquired by a string of other companies, with the St. Paul brewery put out of business years ago.  How does this relate to Agricultural Law?   I was delighted to read what has recently happened to the old Hamms Brewery building in St. Paul. Here's an excerpt from a fascinating article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press and a link to the full story.  It's a story of urban agriculture, urban renewal, sustainability and organic farming, "from the land of sky blue waters." The same �sky blue waters� that were used to brew Hamm�s beer for more than 100 years now provide a home for thousands of tilapia and sustenance for racks of leafy green vegetables.   Urban Organics, an aquaponics farm, operates in the six-story stockhouse building of the former Hamm�s...