Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI)

Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI)

Mission: To educate and serve Maryland family farmers through expert information training that helps navigate complex legal issues such as estates and trusts, regulatory compliance farm food safety, and other aspects of agriculture law.

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Outreach

ALEI reaches state’s agricultural community through publications, social media, trainings, and formal classroom education. ALEI leverages its MPower funding by pursuing grants to support additional programming and expansion.

Education

Undergraduate students at UMCP and law school students at UMB benefit from classes taught by legal specialists on agriculture and law. Farmer education and student involvement are key elements of the program, which through relevant law classes prepares students to become critical thinkers and utilize analysis to inspire innovation in farming, food safety, public policy, and community engagement.

MPower supports funding for the Brinsfield Internship Program, a collaboration between the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology and ALEI now in its 6th year. This year, Brinsfield welcomed three interns. Learn more about the Summer 2023 interns here.

9th Annual Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference

Three Maryland secretaries — Joshua Kurtz (left), Department of Natural Resources; Serena McIlwain, Department of the Environment; and Kevin Atticks, Department of Agriculture; join College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Dean Craig Beyrouty, PhD, MS, at the 9th Annual Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference in November 2023.

Each year, ALEI hosts an agricultural and environmental law conference that brings together farmers, attorneys, educators, environmentalists, producers, policymakers, and students to discuss the complex intersection of environmental regulation and agriculture in Maryland.

This year, the 9th Annual University of Maryland Agricultural and Enviromental Law Conference was held on November 16, 2023, in Annapolis. The keynote panel “The Moore Administration, Agriculture and Environment” featured three newly appointed Maryland secretaries: Joshua Kurtz, Maryland Secretary of Natural Resources; Serena McIlwain, Maryland Secretary of the Environment; and Kevin Atticks, Maryland Secretary of Agriculture. Attendees learned of each agencies priorities in managing the intricate balance between sustaining agricultural and natural resource-based industries and preserving the natural environment and much more.

Additional speakers included Dr. Craig Beyrouty, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resouces at UMCP, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientist who discussed the growing public health concern over PFAS, and poultry specialists who detailed their experience of being on-site of a High Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreak.

Initiatives