SARL Members and Alumni

A New Orleans-based company is suing the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry over the agency's testing of medical marijuana.The Advocate reports Reactwell LLC's lawsuit filed in Baton Rouge claims its bid to test the crop as an independent laboratory was improperly rejected last year.Marijuana grown by Louisiana's two approved producers is supposed to be tested by an independent laboratory to ensure the crop's safety, but the agency says no laboratories were qualified. The lawsuit argues the company was qualified. [node:read-more:link]

After a judge last year ordered the state to tighten up permits aimed at keeping manure at dairy and livestock mega-farms across the state from fouling streams, rivers and lakes, hundreds of farmers switched over to a less-strict state permit instead. Nearly 230 farms that had federal  CWA permits prior to the court ruling have since changed over to less-stringent state Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) permits that cover manure systems specifically design to avoid manure discharge into nearby bodies of water. [node:read-more:link]

A bill requiring Oregon government agencies to protect against “rollbacks” of federal environmental regulations has been dismissed as “political theater” by farm, ranch and timber organizations. [node:read-more:link]

Lunar New Year is supposed to be the busiest time of the year for Tom Adams, whose company, Maine Coast, used to sell millions of pounds of lobster to China. But the U.S.-China trade war has shut Maine Coast out of that market.His former customers in China now buy their lobster from Canada, where dealers can sell a hard-shell version without the 25 percent import tariff. [node:read-more:link]

A record number of women now lead state agriculture departments across the country, a leadership wave that reflects the industry's growing gender diversity. A total of 13 women have either been elected or appointed to head state agriculture departments, surpassing the prior record of ten women holding top ag offices, according to the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. [node:read-more:link]

 Canadians are invited to celebrate the food they love in celebration of the annual Canada’s Agricultural Day.This year, Feb. 12 marks the third annual celebration of the agriculture industry and all other industries that play a role in bringing food to tables across the country.It's the industry's biggest celebration of the year, said Debbie Bailey, manager of Agriculture More Than Ever, one of the driving forces behind Canada’s Agriculture Day.“Canada’s Agriculture Day showcases all the amazing things happening in agriculture and the entire food industry. [node:read-more:link]

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a reorganization of state government she said is largely aimed at ensuring safe drinking water for Michigan residents and fighting climate change. Whitmer announced the restructuring of the Department of Environmental Quality as the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. [node:read-more:link]

Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker, announced a series of new programs for homeless youth, and one of the programs is a pilot to house homeless community college students. Through the program, 20 homeless students at four community colleges will be provided with dormitory rooms in which to live at nearby four-year public colleges and universities. The state will reimburse the colleges for the cost of dormitory space for 18 months during the pilot, which will include access to the rooms during the summer and academic term breaks. [node:read-more:link]

NJ pension officials finalizing $100 million stake in private-equity fund that specializes in buying and leasing farmland in West, Midwest and Mississippi Delta. [node:read-more:link]

After nearly a year of work by a legislative committee, a bill released Thursday afternoon outlines how Oregon would drastically cut its greenhouse gas emissions and become the second state to implement a cap and trade system. The anticipated legislation — criticized before it even appeared — instantly became the talk of the Capitol, though many legislators weren’t exactly certain what had emerged. [node:read-more:link]