Agenda

Tuesday, October 28

3 p.m. – Check-in Begins

5:30-6:30 p.m. –  Dinner, Dining Hall

6:30-7:30 p.m. – Opening Hot Legal Issues in the Mid-Atlantic: State-by-State Lightning Session

• Andrew Branan, Associate Extension Professor, NC State University
• Jen Friedel, Associate Professor of Practice, Virginia Tech
• Paul Goeringer, Extension Legal Specialist, University of Maryland
• Peggy Kirk Hall, Director, Ohio State University Agricultural & Resource Law Program
• Jesse Richardson, Professor of Law, West Virginia University College of Law
• Audry Thompson, Staff Attorney, Penn State Center Agricultural and Shale Law

Wednesday, October 29

7:30-8 a.m. – Breakfast and Coffee, Dining Hall

8-8:50 a.m. – Session 1: Overview Panel Discussion: Land Use Challenges and Opportunities for Ag

• Kyla Kaplan, Olsson Frank Weeda, Terman Matz PC
• Justin Benevidez, Texas A&M, AgriLife Extension Economist (invited)

This session will provide an overview of recent federal agency changes at USDA and key legislative developments pending before Congress under the new Trump administration. Featuring Kyla Kaplan and a representative from a congressional committee, the session will explore how shifting priorities may impact agriculture, conservation programs, and rural policy. Attendees will gain insight into the practical implications of regulatory and legislative trends and what to expect as the administration and Congress shape future agricultural policy.

10-10:50 a.m. – Session 3: Legal Strategies for Addressing Risks of Losing Family Farmland

• Robert Moore, Attorney, Ohio State University Agricultural & Resource Law Program

Involuntary loss of farmland can occur due to long-term care and medical costs, debts, divorce, and poor estate and succession planning.  This session will share legal strategies to reduce the risk of losing farmland from these common factors many farm families face.

10:50-11:40 a.m. – Session 4: Conservation Easements

• Lauren Pregmon, Pregmon Law Offices

11:40 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Networking Lunch

12:30-1:20 p.m. –  Session 5: Navigating Heirs Property in Practice

• Annette Hiatt, Senior Staff Attorney, Land Loss Prevention Project

Lawyers encounter heirs' property situations in many routine areas of their practice, including defense of mortgage and tax foreclosures, estate planning, forest management, applications for farm and disaster program eligibility, and various real property disputes. This presentation will address the practical interactions with co-tenancy heirs property situations, including possible pathways and challenges to consolidate title, development of agreement around parcel management, and partition defense. Also discussed will be policy approaches to reducing the negative impacts of partition.

1:20-2:10 p.m. – Session 6: How to Handle a Zoning Hearing

• Tony Gorski, Law Office of Anthony G Gorski, LLC

This session offers an overview of zoning laws focused on Maryland, but providing valuable insights for those in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, with a focus on agricultural land uses. Attendees will gain practical insights into navigating zoning and planning board processes, especially for cases involving Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and agritourism. The session will highlight key legal considerations, common challenges, and state-specific trends to help farmers, landowners, and advocates effectively present and defend agricultural uses in local zoning hearings.

2:10-2:30 p.m. – Break

2:30-3:30 p.m. – Session 7: Ethical Use of GenAI for Lawyers

• Amy Cyphert, Associate Professor, West Virginia University College of Law

As lawyers increasingly adopt generative AI models into their practice, a number of ethical issues arise. This session covers the technical basics of generative AI models like large language models as well as the ethical issues (privacy/confidentiality, accuracy, billing, etc.) that their deployment in the field of law raises. Current guidance from the ABA, courts, and various state disciplinary agencies will be discussed.

3:30-4 p.m. – Closing

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