November, 2014

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 Greetings! 
 

We hope you enjoy our November News Bite!

 
CAFS HOSTS VANDANA SHIVA
 It was standing-room only in the Chase Center on November 3, when CAFS hosted sustainable food systems advocate Dr. Vandana Shiva. Dr. Shiva spoke on industrial agriculture, climate change, and Vermon't GMO labeling law. She praised Vermont Law School for its role in GMO labeling legislation: "I have come all the way to congratulate the law school. What you've done in Vermont and what the law school has done is--in our times, the year 2014--path-breaking." CAFS hosted a reception for Dr. Shiva in Yates Common Room after the lecture. A recording of the lecture will soon be available on the VLS/CAFS homepage. Read additional press coverage from the VT Digger.
 
   
CAFS Director Laurie Ristino and Dr. Vandana Shiva
 
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT:
 
CAFS CONTINUES PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL NETWORK
CAFS is excited to announce we will be continuing to grow our partnership with the National Farm to School Network (NFSN)! CAFS and NFSN will share a grant to partner in updating NFSN's State Farm to School Legislative Survey. The Survey provides a summary of each piece of farm to school legislation proposed since 2002, and is a resource for legislators, advocates, and farmers involved in farm to school programs. The fully updated Survey will include all legislation proposed from 2002-2014, as well as case studies highlighting the variety of farm to school programs across the county. NFSN and CAFS will release the updated Survey in early 2015.
NEWS & EVENTS:
 
CAFS MEETS WITH PARTNERS ON LAND TENURE PROJECT
On November 4th the CAFS team met with members of the American Farmland Trust, the Land Trust Alliance, Land for Good, and BCM Environmental and Land Law PLLC to discuss CAFS' Land Tenure project. The Land Tenure project seeks to promote the transfer and retention of farmlands and acquisition of affordable farmland for new farmers. CAFS hopes to continue building on our relationships with these notable land trust organizations to make the Land Tenure project a far-reaching success.
 
CAFS PROPOSAL ACCEPTED BY SEATTLE UNIVERSITY LAW SYMPOSIUM
CAFS Clinical Director Jamie Renner was recently invited by the Seattle University Law Review to present his paper "Keeping Seafood Companies on the Hook: Re-tooling the Corporate Partnership Model for Improved Sustainability" at their symposium in March 2015. The paper will be researched and written in collaboration with Meghan Jeans, Director of Conservation for the New England Aquarium, and a VLS graduate.
  
CAFS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR TO PRESENT 
AT YALE FOOD SYSTEMS SYMPOSIUM
CAFS Associate Director Laurie Beyranevand will be presenting her paper "The New Foodralism" at the Yale
Food Symposium on November 14th and 15th, hosted by the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Her book chaper, entitled "Agricultural Biotechnology and NAFTA: Analyzing the Impacts of U.S. and Canadian Policies on Mexico's Environment and Agriculture" is forthcoming in NAFTA and Sustainable Development: History, Experience, and Prospects for Reform, published by Cambridge University Press. Professor Beyranevand was recently quoted in "Missouri's Right to Farm Amendment Has Family Farmers Worried" in the Earth Island Journal and "GMO Labeling Initiatives Fall Short in Colorado" in E&E Greenwire.
 
FDA LISTENING SESSION TO BE HELD ON VLS CAMPUS
On November 17th the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets, in conjunction with the Northeast Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NEASDA), will host a listening session to offer farmers and food processors an opportunity to provide comment on new supplemental rules proposed by the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The session will be held from 9-1 in the Chase Community Center on the VLS Campus, and is free and open to the public. Read the full press release from the VT Digger.
 
CAFS SEEKS FOOD AND AGRICULTURE LLM FELLOWS
CAFS is currently seeking two highly qualified food and agriculture LLM Fellows to join the CAFS team in January 2015. The Fellows will work closely with the Center and its Clinic to provide cutting edge research and analysis, and work on CAFS projects which create legal solutions for the food movement. For information on qualifications, benefits, and the application process, please visit our Food and Ag LLM Fellowship page.