An official website of the United States government.
About the Agricultural Law Information Partnership
The Partnership is a collaboration between the National Agricultural Library (NAL), National Agricultural Law Center (NALC), and the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at Vermont Law and Graduate School.
Overview
The Partnership produces a range of tools and guides on agricultural and food law. Key audiences include attorneys, agricultural professionals, and the general public involved in agricultural industries in the United States.
Partners
- National Agricultural Library (NAL)
NAL is one of five national libraries of the United States. It houses one of the world's largest collections devoted to agriculture and its related sciences.
- Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS)
CAFS trains law and policy students to develop real-world solutions for a more sustainable and just food system.
- National Agricultural Law Center (NALC)
NALC serves as the nation’s leading source of objective, scholarly, and authoritative agricultural and food law research and information, serving public and private sector stakeholders – producers, federal and state lawmakers, policymakers, land grant university faculty and academics, attorneys, and others — throughout the United States.
Topics
- Animal Welfare [nal.usda.gov]
- Buying Organic Food [nal.usda.gov]
- Dicamba [nationalaglawcenter.org]
- Defining Local Food: An Analysis of State Approaches and Challenges [vermontlaw.edu; PDF, 52 pages]
- Extension Legal Services Initiative [elsi.necafs.org]
- Family Law Issues in Agriculture: Factsheet Series [nationalaglawcenter.org]
- Farm and Energy Initiative [farmandenergyinitiative.org]
- Farmland Access Legal Toolkit [farmlandaccess.org]
- Food Labeling [nal.usda.gov]
- Food Systems Resilience [PDF, 43 pages]
- Gleaning and Food Recovery [nationalgleaningproject.org]
- Healthy Food Policy Project [healthyfoodpolicyproject.org]
- Laws Applying to Agricultural Workers [vermontlaw.edu; PDF, 32 pages]
- Local Foods [nal.usda.gov]
- Starting a Farm [nal.usda.gov]
- State Farm to School Policy Handbook [farmtoschool.org]
- Understanding FSMA's Preventive Controls Rule: A Guide for Grain Businesses [vermontlaw.edu; PDF, 16 pages
- Urban Agriculture [nal.usda.gov]
Key Products
Cottage Food Laws
This research publication by the National Agricultural Law Center covers cottage food laws across the United States and includes an interactive map that will take you to a document about the cottage food laws in each state.
Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land: FAQs & Resource Library
A resource library and frequently asked question (FAQ) guide from the National Agricultural Law Center about the foreign ownership of agricultural land in the United States.
Ag Issues & Economic Recovery
This question and answer style guide explores agricultural issues and support for economic recovery, including information on stimulus packages, agricultural labor, and direct marketing of specialty crops.
Defining Local Food: An Analysis of State Approaches and Challenges
A report put together by Center for Agriculture and Food Systems to analyze the term "local" from a legal perspective. The report describes various definitions for "local" and includes a scan laws from U.S. states.
Farmland Access Legal Toolkit
The Farmland Access Legal Toolkit, created by the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, includes legal resources to help farmers and landowners affordably access, transfer, and conserve farmland.
Understanding FSMA's Preventive Controls Rule
A new guide from the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems in partnership with the Artisan Grain Collaborative to break down down complicated federal food safety regulations related to FSMA for food-grade grain farmers and processors.
Contact Us
Disclaimer:
Content provided on this site is for general educational purposes and should not be considered legal advice.
Online:
Use the library’s Ask a Question form.
Mission
The Agricultural Law Information Partnership is a collaboration between the National Agricultural Library, National Agricultural Law Center (NALC) and the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at Vermont Law School. The Partnership supports the dissemination of agricultural and food law information to consumers, researchers and legal professionals. Agricultural law is defined broadly to include land-based agriculture, food and fiber production and systems, aquaculture and energy issues.