By Sarah Fielder
Upcoming Webinar Series Kicks Off With Dicamba Webinar More growers will be using dicamba-resistant technology in the 2018 crop year. In past years, other regions have seen increased complaints as growers have increased the use of dicamba-resistant technology. The Ag Law Education Initiative will kick off a series of webinars with a webinar focused on an overview of current issues with the dicamba-resistant technology and new dicamba formulations. This webinar will discuss drift liability and the ongoing lawsuits against biotechnology companies for bring this technology to market. You can register for this webinar and see the others in the series here https://go.umd.edu/2018AgLawWebinars.
Federal Judge Limits Recovery In North Carolina Hog Farm Decision This week a federal judge limited the punitive recovery to $3.25 million based on a North Carolina state law that limits punitive damages. This is down from the $50 million awarded by the jury. A state law in North Carolina limits putative damages to 3 times the compensatory damages. The North Carolina Supreme Court has upheld this law as constitutional in the past. To learn more about this limitation in damages here http://bit.ly/2I79SD1.
The Threat of Tariffs Raise International Trade Fears with Maryland Farmers Last week, the Baltimore Sun highlighted fears that farmers in Maryland now have over international trade issues due to recent calls for tariffs on steel and aluminium from other countries and countries like China looking to retaliate against the U.S. To read the story click here https://bsun.md/2I9CpYM. Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit released a survey of their members where one of the top concerns of the membership is international trade issues. To look at the survey results, click here http://bit.ly/2I68nVB. We will be announcing a webinar focused on international trade in the coming weeks to better educate farmers on this growing issue.
Maryland Crab Houses Without Workers to Pick Crab Meat The Baltimore Sun highlighted concerns with Eastern Shore crab houses that there might not be enough workers to pick crab meat this year. The labor shortages arise because of changes to the H-2B visa program that now works on a lottery system and not the traditional first come first serve system. To read more about this issue, click here https://bsun.md/2FZDdxe.
House Version of the Farm Bill Includes Health Care Provision This week NPR reported that the House version of the Farm Bill includes a provision that would allow USDA to administer grants and loans to groups looking to set up health care associations for rural America. This inclusion is not without controversy to see the arguments for and against, see the story here https://n.pr/2G3bcoH.