Recent Articles

Dean Jim Chen's Work Cited in NYT: Wickard v. Filburn

March 21, 2012 16:08

The case of 1942 agricultural law case of Wickard v. Filburn is referenced frequently in the news as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the constitutionally of the federal health care law. As the New York Times reported yesterday:If the Obama administration persuades the Supreme Court to...

California Assembly Considers a Range of Food Legislation

March 20, 2012 12:43

The Sacramento Bee ran a front-page story today about proposed legislation that would alter how the state regulates food production and sale. Here's an excerpt from Torey Van Ort's story:California is no stranger to major food policy measures, including a ban on foie gras that is set to go into...

Clearinghouse Announces Special Issue on Hunger & Food Insecurity

March 11, 2012 18:08

The increasing problem of food insecurity in America has led Clearinghouse Review: Journal of Poverty Law and Policy to choose Hunger and Food Insecurity as its 2012 special issue topic. The announcement can be found on the Shriver Brief blog in a post by Michele Host, Clearinghouse Review...

Farm Policy Should Be Food Policy

March 01, 2012 00:35

One of my goals as an educator has been to encourage better communication and better understanding between agricultural and non-agricultural communities, and a recent focus has involved farmers and non-farm consumers.  Agricultural law has sometimes developed in a vacuum, with the...

U.S. District Judge Rejects Organic Farmers' Suit Against Monsanto

February 29, 2012 04:12

U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald, Southern District of New York, last week dismissed a lawsuit that a group of organic farmers, seed companies and food safety groups had filed in March, 2011, against agribusiness giant Monsanto Corporation. The plaintiffs acted preemptively, essentially...

UN Commission on the Status of Women Addresses Challenges of Rural Women, Agriculture, Development

February 29, 2012 04:08

The following post was written by Lauren McIntosh, a third-year law student at Pace University. Lauren and I are two of the observers designated by the American Society of International Law to attend the United Nation's 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Rural women are a focus...

Texas Water Law: Ownership Rights to Groundwater

February 26, 2012 18:19

The Texas Supreme Court issued a water law ruling this week that was cheered by those advocating for strong property rights and sharply criticized by environmentalists and others concerned about water use going forward.  Given water shortages in many areas and American agriculture's dependency...

"We eat animals because they taste good"

February 25, 2012 04:15

. . . and other arguments in a spirited debate over the ethics of killing animals for food, fur, and/or leather.

Getting into farming (and staying there)

February 24, 2012 03:47

That's the topic of several recent stories out of California.A few days ago, the San Francisco Chronicle ran this front-page story about the diminished profitability of cattle ranching, particularly in California where land prices are so high. The story features Tim Koopman of Sunol. It's no...

Portraits of Hunger: Americans on Food Stamps

February 18, 2012 18:32

The PBS News Documentary, Need to Know, did an informative episode on "food stamp" recipients last night, Portraits of Hunger: Stories of Americans on Food Stamps.  It is a moving, yet objective look at what its like to be worried about food security in America.  Almost half are children,...