MSBA Agricultural & Rural Law Section
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MSBA Agricultural and Rural Law Section
Annual Report
2011-12

Section Membership
As of April 20, 2012, the Agricultural and Rural Law Section has 152 members.

Financial Status
The Agricultural and Rural Law Section had an account balance of $6,757.22 as of May 31, 2012.

Continuing Legal Education Programs
The Section co-sponsored the 2012 Agricultural and Rural Law Institute with Minnesota CLE.  This year’s Institute was held in St. Cloud, MN and had 65 attendees.

Annual Meeting and Election Results
The Section held its annual meeting and elections at the 2011 Agricultural and Rural Law Institute in St. Cloud, MN on April 2, 2012.  The following officers and council members were elected to serve on the Section’s Council in 2012-13.

Officers:     

Joe Thomspon – Chair
Christopher Roe – Vice-Chair
Jared Peterson – Secretary
Greg Bucher – Treasurer

Council Members:  

Patrick Costello
Michael Dove
Andrea Gievers
Jeff Streiffer
Sarah Jewell
Troy Hutchinson
Fritz Ebinger  

Submitted By:
Michael Dove, Section Chair
Dated:  July 3, 2012

MSBA Agricultural and Rural Law Section
Annual Report
2010-11

Section Membership
As of May 26, 2011, the Agricultural and Rural Law Section has 136 members.

Financial Status
The Agricultural and Rural Law Section had an account balance of $6,512.40 as of April 30, 2011. 

Continuing Legal Education Programs
The Section co-sponsored the 2011 Agricultural and Rural Law Institute with Minnesota CLE.  This year’s Institute was held in Willmar, MN.

Annual Meeting and Election Results
The Section held its annual meeting and elections at the 2011 Agricultural and Rural Law Institute in Willmar, MN on April 5, 2011.  The following officers and council members were elected to serve on the Section’s Council in 2011-12.

Michael Dove, Chair
Joe Thompson, Vice-Chair
Gregory Bucher, Treasurer
Jeffrey Streiffer, Secretary

Ken Myers, Council Member
Brian Boysen, Council Member
Christopher Roe, Council Member
Gary Petersen, Council Member
Gary Hansen, Council Member
Jared Peterson, Council Member
Patrick Costello, Council Member
Andrea Gievers, Council Member

Submitted By:
Michael Dove, Section Chair

MSBA Agricultural and Rural Law Section
Annual Report 2009-2010

Submitted by Gary Hansen, Chair, AgriBank, FCB on June 30, 2010

Membership: The Section had 131 members this year.

Continuing Legal Education: The Section coordinated with the Animal Law Section in sponsoring a complimentary one-hour CLE in conjunction with the December Section Council meeting.  Elizabeth Springsteen, staff attorney, The National Agricultural Law Center, University of Arkansas School of Law, provided an informative overview of farm animal confinement laws in the US. 

The Section coordinated with the Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Law Section in sponsoring a complimentary one-hour CLE program following the March Section Council meeting.  Sue Steinwall, Fredrickson & Byron, Minneapolis; Andrea Moffatt, WSB Engineering, Minneapolis; and Joe Thompson, Stoel Rives, Minneapolis, and a Section Council officer, addressed development of renewable energy projects on agricultural land.     

In April, in coordination with Minnesota CLE, the Section sponsored the 19th Annual Agricultural and Rural Law Institute at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato.  A high-quality faculty presented relevant and timely topics of interest to Institute participants.  

Pro Bono/Volunteer Service Activities: Two Section members responded to a request to make presentations in an animal law class at William Mitchell College of Law.  The Section also responded to a LegalCORPS request to solicit assistance from an agricultural law practitioner to provide pro bono assistance to low-income agricultural entrepreneurs.

The Section supported the MSBA’s public education programming through a financial contribution to the Mock Trial and Civic Education Programs.  The Section also contributed to the MSBA/Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund to support ongoing humanitarian relief efforts for earthquake victims.    

Website and practicelaw.org: The Section maintained a website at http://www2.mnbar.org/sections/agricultural-law/index.asp, providing information about the Section, Council meeting notices and minutes, CLE notices and links to program materials, newsletters, annual reports, practice links, and other online services.

Section Newsletter/Publication:
The Spring 2010 newsletter provided members with case law and administrative updates, articles on practice-related topics of interest to members, and information about Section business and activities.  The Section extends its thanks and appreciation to Andrea Gievers for her diligence and patience in producing and editing the newsletter.      

Council Meetings: The Section Council met to conduct business on September 14, December 2, and March 3.  Minutes of these meetings are posted on the website.
 
Annual Meeting: The Section’s annual meeting was conducted in coordination with the 19th Annual Agricultural and Rural Law Institute in Mankato on April 7. 
The membership approved minutes of the March 3 Council meeting, accepted the treasurer’s report as presented, elected Section Council members and officers, endorsed the appointment of an Assembly representative and alternate, and agreed to maintain Section dues at $10, including the $6 per member MSBA administrative fee. 

Election Results: The members attending the annual meeting elected the following officers and Council members to serve the indicated terms:

Officers (One-year term):
Michael Dove, Chair
Joe Thompson, Vice Chair
Jill Krueger, Treasurer
Jeff Streiffer, Secretary

Council Members:

1 -Year Term
Patrick Costello
Gary Hansen
Jill Krueger

2-Year Term
Brian Boysen
Ken Myers
Jared Peterson

3-Year Term
Michael Dove
Christopher Roe
Jeff Streiffer
Joe Thompson

The Section’s MSBA Assembly representative will be Gary Hansen.  The alternate will be Brian Boysen.

Fiscal Status: As of May 31, 2010, the section had a balance of $6,132.59.  Total revenue from membership dues for the year was $1,748.00.  Expenses totaled $1,928.43, including $700.00 in donations for MSBA publication education programming and the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.

Miscellaneous: During the year, the Section pursued collaborative opportunities with the National Agricultural Law Center, an agricultural and food law authoritative source that provides access to related publications and serves as a gateway to agricultural law resources on the Internet.  The Center publishes online articles, notes, case summaries, and other publications by leading agricultural law scholars and attorneys from across the country and the world.  The Center provided speaker and information resources to the Section during the year for CLE programs and the annual Agricultural and Rural Law Institute.    

Respectfully submitted,
Gary Hansen, Chair
AgriBank, FCB          

Annual Report 2008-2009

The Section provided valued services to members over the past year.  Section activities included the following:  

Sponsorship
In October, the Section welcomed and participated in sponsoring the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA) Annual Agricultural Law Symposium, which was held in Minneapolis.  The symposium featured presentations by national and international experts providing extensive and relevant information on agricultural law, including updates of recent developments and panel discussions of important areas of environmental law, governmental regulation, food safety, and natural resource law, among others.  The Section was instrumental in assisting the AALA with program ideas, speakers, sponsorships, distribution of promotional materials, and related activities, resulting in AALA Executive Director Robert Achenbach describing it as “the best-attended and most successful symposium in memory.” 

Education
The Section coordinated with the Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Law Section in sponsoring a complimentary one-hour CLE in conjunction with the March Section Council meeting.  Dustan Cross, Gislason and Hunter, New Ulm; Kim Brynildson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, St. Paul; and Dennis Johnson, Wenck Associates, Windom provided a highly informative update on the regulation of concentrated animal feeding operations, addressing legal and technical challenges facing CAFO operators.         

In April, in coordination with Minnesota CLE, the Section sponsored the 18th Annual Agricultural and Rural Law Institute at the St. Cloud Civic Center.  A high-quality faculty presented relevant and timely topics of interest to Institute participants.  

Newsletter
The Summer/Fall 2008 newsletter provided members with case law and administrative updates, articles on practice-related topics of interest to members, and information about Section business and activities.  The Section extends its thanks and appreciation to Andrea Silbermann for her diligence and patience in producing and editing the newsletter.      

Annual Meeting
The Section conducted its annual meeting on April 3.  Members were honored to hear an update on Association focus areas from MSBA President Michael Ford.  In addition, the membership voted to maintain Section dues at $10, effectively reducing the Section’s share to $4 to accommodate the MSBA’s need to implement a $6 per member administrative fee. 

Election results included the re-election of Gary Petersen to the Section Council.  Gary Hansen, chair, and Michael Dove, vice-chair, were re-elected.  Newly-elected officers for 2009-2010 are Jill Krueger, treasurer, and Joe Thompson, secretary.  Jeffrey Streiffer was re-appointed as the Section’s Assembly delegate.

Respectfully submitted,
Gary Hansen, Chair
AgriBank, FCB          

MSBA Agricultural and Rural Law Section
Annual Report 2007-2008         

The Chair of the MSBA Agricultural and Rural Law Section submits the following annual report of the Section’s activities during 2007-2008:

1. The Section changed its name to the “Agricultural and Rural Law Section.”  The section was previously known just as the “Agricultural Law Section.” After many years of hosting the “Agricultural and Rural Law Institute” the section members felt the new name better reflected the scope of our activities.  The Section is committed to work hard to fill the needs of agricultural and rural practitioners.
2. The section planned and hosted the 17th Annual Agricultural and Rural Law Institute.  Topics included: energy and wind contracts, incapacity planning, a federal farm bill update and our annual case law update.
3. On March 28, 2008, in conjunction with the Agricultural and Rural Law Institute, the section held its Annual Meeting.  Officers, section council members, assembly delegate and alternates were elected and other business was conducted.
4. The Agricultural Law Section continues to publish its Agricultural Law Newsletter.  Special thanks to our editor Andrea Silbermann.  Articles can be submitted at any time to ASilbermann@aol.com
5. Welcome to our new officers for the 2008-2009 year: Gary Hansen, Chair; Michael Dove, Vice-Chair; Matt Benda, Secretary; and Gary Peterson, Treasurer.
6. Minnesota is hosting the American Agricultural Law Association 2008 Annual Agricultural Symposium on October 24th and 25th, 2008.  Section members are working closely with the AALA to coordinate the details of this exciting event.  The Section will be hosting an event to show a warm “Minnesota Welcome” to our out of state colleagues.

MSBA Agricultural Law Section
Annual Report for 2006-2007

The Agricultural Law Section again published its Agricultural Law Newsletter.  Special thanks to our editor Andrea Silbermann.  Articles can be submitted at any time to ASilbermann@aol.com. The section planned and hosted the 16th Annual Agricultural and Rural Law Institute.  Our featured speakers included Congressman Tim Walz and Robert Sip from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

On April 13, 2007, in conjunction with the Agricultural and Rural Law Institute, the section held its Annual Meeting.  Officers, section council members, assembly delegate and alternates were elected and other business was conducted.

Special thanks to retiring section council member Mark Madsen and to Brian Boysen, who served for many years as an officer of the section and kept the section alive and well.

The section has elected to host CLE programs during its section meetings, beginning with “The Promise (and Pitfalls) of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program” On June 27, 2007.  Thank you Jill Krueger from the Farmer’s Legal Action Group for teaching this program.

Council Members, Officers, Delegate and Alternate for July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2007:

Name                                       Term Expires                            Notes

Patrick Costello                        June 30, 2008                          Delegate to MSBA Assembly

Matthew Benda                        June 30, 2008                          Elected Chair for 2007-2008

Jill Krueger                               June 30, 2008

Rick Stermer                            June 30, 2008

Rick Mollin                               June 30, 2009

Gary Petersen                           June 30, 2009                          Elected Treasurer for 2007-08

JK (Ken) Meyers                     June 30, 2009 

Brian Boysen                            June 30, 2009

Gary Hansen                            June 30, 2010                          Elected Vice-Chair for 2007-08
                                                                                                Alternate to MSBA Assembly  
Joe Thompson                          June 30, 2010

Edna Boyle-Lewicki                 June 30, 2010

Michael Dove                           June 30, 2010                          Elected Secretary for 2007-08

Respectfully Submitted,

Matt Benda, Chair
Peterson, Savelkoul & Benda, Ltd.
211 South Newton
Albert Lea, MN 56007
mbenda@albertlealaw.com

MSBA Agricultural Law Section Annual Report 2005-2006

1. October 2005 Conducted legislative survey requesting input from section members.

2. November 17, 2005 The Section Council voted to provide $1,000 for the Katrina Legal Assistance Fund

3. November 2005 through March 2006 Assisted Minnesota CLE in planning the 15th Annual Agricultural and Rural Law Institute and planned the Section annual meeting to occur on the same date.

4. March 2006 (Winter 2005/Spring 2006) newsletter published and accessible on website.

5. April 7, 2006 combined Annual Meeting with Agricultural and Rural Law Institute, officers, section council members, assembly delegate and alternate elected, amended bylaws and conducted other business. The Minutes are to be posted on the website.

6. Council Members, Officers, Delegate, Alternate for July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007:

7. Special thanks to those Council members leaving office, Kurt Anderson (who also served as Assembly Delegate in 2005-2006) and Gail Von Bargen. Thanks again to Andrea Silbermann for continuing to edit the newsletter and to all the contributors. A general thanks to all the section council members and section members and MSBA staff for the continued support. I pledged to seek another person to serve as secretary for the coming year so that I don’t become recycled but for now I am the secretary and looking forward to another productive year.

Respectfully Submitted,
Brian Boysen, Chair

MSBA Agricultural Law Section
Annual Report 2004-2005

1. August 27, 2004 Annual Meeting with election of section council members and officers.

2. October 9, 2004 Co-Sponsored Judicial Reception in New Ulm, MN at historic Lind House.

3. April 1, 2005 combined Annual Meeting with Agricultural and Rural Law Institute, officers and section council members elected, planned for newsletter and other business. The Minutes are posted on the website.

4. June 2005 newsletter published and accessible on website.

5. Council Members, Officers, Delegate, Alternate for July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006:

6. Special thanks to David Moeller for his service in 2004-2005 as a section council member and for his work over the years in helping with the Agricultural and Rural Law Institute. Thanks as well to Patrick Costello for his dedication to the section and the task of energizing it; to Kurt Anderson for supporting the newsletter; to Andrea Silbermann for stepping forward to edit the newsletter and to all the contributors. A general thanks to all the section council members and section members and MSBA staff for the continued support.

Respectfully Submitted,
Brian Boysen, Chair