Agricultural Law Conference Guides Maryland Farmers Through Uncertain Times

Dec 18, 2025

By Laura Lee

Farmers, legal scholars, environmentalists, and state officials gathered in Annapolis on Nov. 10 for the 2025 Agricultural and Environmental Law Education Initiative (ALEI) conference, where discussions centered on building resilient local food systems.

During a pre-lunch address, Renée Laurent, JD, dean, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, acknowledged the challenges farmers face as they scramble to keep up with policy shifts affecting everything from global trade to SNAP benefits to climate-smart agriculture grants.

"It’s dizzying imagining how hard it would be to keep up with changes," Laurent said. "That highlights just how really critically important the work of ALEI is."

The conference is an annual highlight for ALEI, a University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State (MPower) initiative that is a collaboration of Maryland Carey Law; the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources (AGNR) at the University of Maryland, College Park; and the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. Launched in 2013, ALEI’s mission is to educate and serve Maryland family farmers by providing expert information and training on complex legal issues such as estates and trusts, regulatory compliance, and farm food safety.

Source : umaryland.edu

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.