WHY STUDY AGRICULTURAL LAW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS?
The importance of agriculture to Arkansas is reflected in the state's
rank in production of major products - first in rice, first in broilers,
third in catfish, sixth in eggs, third in turkeys, fifth in cotton, eighth
in soybeans, and eighteenth in
cattle and calves, with a host of other products - especially timber and
forest products - playing a major role in the state's agricultural picture.
Arkansas has become a major force in the food and fiber export market with
the Arkansas River Navigation System providing easy access to important
port cities. Given the central location of the state, the importance of
Arkansas as a domestic supplier is likely to increase as well.
In recognition of the importance of agriculture to the economy of Arkansas and the surrounding region, and the new emphasis being placed on the legal problems of agriculture, the University of Arkansas School of Law has embarked upon a venture unique among law schools of this country: the establishment of a comprehensive agricultural law program. The program is designed to be more than a teaching program and includes a significant research component and public education, as well.
The agricultural law program has evolved from several years of careful thought and study by the law faculty. In 1978 a proposal for a specialized LL.M. in agricultural law was approved by the faculty. This proposal, submitted to the state Department of Higher Education, set the broad outlines for such a program. The proposed program was approved by the Department of Higher Education in 1979 and this proposal served as the basis for petitions to the appropriate accrediting committees within both the Association of American Law Schools and the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association. Both committees granted clearance for the establishment of the degree program.