By Ramie Parsons
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Two national agricultural organizations are partnering again in 2026 to provide timely legal and policy education for the agricultural community.
The National Agricultural Law Center and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation, or NASDA Foundation, will co-host the 13th annual Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference. The event is scheduled for June 5 at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in Memphis, Tennessee. Registration is open online, and a livestream option will be available for those who cannot travel.
“We’re really excited to be able to offer this program again, and especially to continue to grow it by co-hosting with our friends at the NASDA Foundation,” said NALC Director Harrison Pittman.
The NASDA Foundation is an educational and research organization that serves the nation’s state departments of agriculture.
The Mid-South conference is part of a long-running effort to provide timely agricultural and environmental law information for attorneys, lenders, accountants, consultants, students and other agricultural professionals across the region, Pittman said. The program offers continuing legal education credit, including ethics, as well as continuing education from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.
Early bird bonus session
An online-only “Early Bird” session on May 13 will offer three hours of bonus CLE and CE to those who register for the Mid-South conference by May 12.
Topics scheduled for the Early Bird program include a U.S. Supreme Court and agricultural litigation update, a Mid-South policy panel featuring leaders from state departments of agriculture and a mid-year review of agricultural law and policy developments from NALC attorneys.
Main conference agenda
The main Mid-South conference on June 5 will feature six hours of continuing education programming, including one hour of ethics credit. The agenda will cover a range of pressing issues for agricultural stakeholders, including:
· Agricultural labor and immigration enforcement
· Farm debt and land transactions
· U.S. Department of Agriculture policy and reorganization
· Federal legislative and trade developments
· Artificial intelligence and legal ethics
· Environmental regulatory and litigation updates
Featured speakers will include Judge Stephen A. Vaden, USDA deputy secretary, as the keynote speaker, and Hunt Shipman, principal and director at Cornerstone Government Affairs, among others still to be announced.
New this year, the conference will include a “Next Generation of Ag & Food Law: Roundtable for Students” on the afternoon of June 4 at the law school, offering law students an opportunity to engage with practitioners and explore career pathways in agricultural law. That evening, attendees are invited to a networking reception at The Rendezvous in Memphis.
Organizers note that Memphis-area lodging is available near the law school, with many attendees traditionally staying at The Peabody Memphis.
Registration details, agenda information and continuing education accreditation are available on the conference website.
“These conferences are premier learning and networking opportunities for attorneys, students and other ag professionals who work throughout the nation’s agricultural community,” Pittman said. “The Mid-South program continues to bring together leading voices on the legal and policy issues that matter most to agriculture.” For more information about the NALC, visit NationalAgLawCenter.org and subscribe to receive NALC communications, including webinar announcements, the Quarterly Newsletter and The Feed.
About the National Agricultural Law Center
Created by Congress in 1987, the National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. The NALC works with producers, agribusinesses, state and federal policymakers, lenders, Congressional staffers, attorneys, land grant universities, students, and many others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information to the nation’s agricultural community.
The NALC is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and works in close partnership with the National Agricultural Library, a subsidiary of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. For information about the NALC, visit nationalaglawcenter.org. The NALC is also on X, Facebook and LinkedIn as @nataglaw. Subscribe online to receive NALC Communications, including webinar announcements, the NALC’s Quarterly Newsletter, and The Feed.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land-grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
