The LL.M. program offers 24 credits of specialized agricultural law courses. Courses are taught by full-time agricultural law professors at the School of Law or by visiting scholars with national agricultural law expertise. Most students take all of the specialized courses. However, with the approval of the director, a student may substitute courses offered in the J.D. program (if not taken previously as a J.D. student) or courses offered for graduate credit elsewhere within the University of Arkansas, provided that they are substantially related to agricultural law.
Some LL.M. students have taken one or more international law classes offered in the J.D. curriculum. Graduate students may be allowed to earn up to six credits through alternative courses. An effort is made to accommodate each student's particular areas of interest, and the director works closely with each student to develop their preferred curriculum. Credit may not be granted for courses taken at other law schools.
The specialized agricultural law courses in the LL.M. program are specifically designed to address the most current issues facing agriculture today. Therefore, the curriculum and the focus in each of the individual courses will vary year to year as professors incorporate new issues. Recently offered courses include:
Introduction to the Law of Food & Agriculture
(1 credit) - This course provides an overview of the legal and policy issues presented by the production of food and fiber, including a discussion of structural changes in agriculture, sustainability issues, and trends in direct marketing and consumer interest.
Agriculture & the Environment
(3 credits) - Agriculture is increasingly criticized for its impact on the environment. This course examines the tensions between the desire to produce food and fiber efficiently and concern for the protection of natural resources. The application of the major federal environmental statutes to agricultural operations will be presented, with discussion of the exemptions for agriculture and the impact of industrialized agricultural production on environmental regulation.
Administrative Law & Agriculture
(1 to 2 credits) - Administrative agencies play a critical role in implementing farm policy. In addition to addressing core administrative law principles, this course examines formal and informal adjudication of USDA disputes.
Food Law
(2 credits) - This course examines the network of laws that govern food safety and food labeling and considers how well this network works to protect American consumers. Current issues in the news, e.g., mad cow disease, E. coli outbreaks, animal welfare issues, and the organic standards, are considered.
Selected Issues in World Agriculture
(1 credit) - This course explores selected issues in global agricultural trade, including human rights implications of U.S. and EU farm policies and the environmental consequences of the changing patterns of agricultural production throughout the world.
Agricultural Cooperatives
(1 credit) - This course examines the law governing the organization and operation of farmer-owned cooperatives, with an emphasis on "New Generation" value-added processing cooperatives. Among the topics covered are cooperative taxation and aspects of antitrust and securities law applicable to agricultural cooperatives.
Agricultural Finance & Credit
(3 credits) - Agriculture is a capital-intensive industry. This course examines the legal issues involved in the financing of an agricultural operation, including credit availability, farm real estate financing, secured transactions in agricultural personal property, and debt restructuring opportunities. Special attention is given to the institutional lenders that serve agriculture: the Farm Credit System, the USDA Farm Service Agency, and the commercial banks involved in farm finance.
Agricultural Bankruptcy
(1 to 2 credits) - This course examines bankruptcy law as applied to agricultural operations, including Chapter 12 - Family Farmer Reorganization.
International Food Law
(1 credit) - The marketplace for the manufacture and sale of food is becoming increasingly globalized. This survey course examines the international organizations and standards that regulate and influence food law.
Agricultural Sales
(1 credit) - This course examines the Packers & Stockyards Act, with a focus on the prohibition of unfair practices, animal identification, mandatory price reporting, and the protections provided for livestock marketing. The course also considers the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) and its protections.
Agricultural Perspectives
(1 to 2 credits) - Agriculture has a rich and varied history, and today's issues are often best understood in the context of this history. This course examines a wide range of social and economic issues, considering their origin and how history is reflected in today's policies. Topics considered include agrarianism, land tenancy issues, slavery, farm structure, early farm activism, the Dust Bowl, and migrant farm labor. Student participation is critical in this course.
Agricultural Labor Law
(1 to 2 credits) - This survey course examines the legal, social, and economic issues that arise from the extensive use of migrant labor in U.S. agricultural operations. This complex issue is analyzed from many perspectives. Discussion topics include agricultural exemptions from labor laws, the Migrant & Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, and agriculture's reliance on undocumented alien workers.
Biotechnology & Agriculture
(1 credit) - Developments in agricultural biotechnology offer exciting opportunities but raise many concerns. This course examines laws governing biotechnology as applied to agriculture, combined with a discussion of the farm policy impact and analysis of regulations controlling the use of biotechnology in agriculture and whether these regulations have kept up with scientific developments.
Agricultural Taxation
(1 credit) - This introductory course examines agricultural business taxation issues, including the impact of business planning decisions on taxation.
Crop Insurance & Disaster Assistance
(1 credit) - This course addresses complex issues surrounding the use of crop insurance and disaster-assistance programs to support farm income in times of loss. It provides an overview of the programs available and the legal issues that arise from them. Policy issues, including the new concept of revenue insurance, are also addressed.
Agricultural Law Seminar
(1 credit) - This course allows for the intensive coverage of a specialized topic in agricultural law that is not covered in an existing law course. This seminar is for LL.M. students only.
Advanced Agricultural Law Research & Writing
(1 credit) - This is a practical course to assist students with research and writing skills, focusing on specialized agricultural law topics. This course is for LL.M. students only.
Master's Thesis in Agricultural Law
(1 to 4 credits) - As part of the requirements for the LL.M. degree, each student must perform research in a specialized area of agricultural law and develop an article or other product suitable for publication. This course is for LL.M. students only.
Independent Research in Agricultural Law
(1-2 Credits) This course provides 1-2 credits for independent research in agricultural law conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. The final grade is based on the research project submitted by the student. There is no final examination.
Advanced Legal Research in Agricultural Law
(1 credit) - This is a practical course to assist students with research and writing skills, focusing on specialized agricultural law topics. This course is for LL.M. students only and is graded on a pass/fail basis.
