Vermont Law School's Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) is training the next generation of law and policy leaders to build a more sustainable and just food system. Ahead, learn more about food and ag projects, find the latest alumni updates, and hear from CAFS students, faculty, and staff.
Food Justice Through Farmland Access
April 2, 2021
The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems is expanding a farmland access resource to serve more communities. Read more »
LOCAL NONPROFIT TAPS VLS MASTER'S STUDENTS TO COMBAT FOOD INSECURITY DURING COVID-19
January 29, 2021
Johanna Doren and Emily Whittier worked with Feeding the Valley Alliance while earning their Master's in Food and Agricultural Law and Policy (MFALP) degrees. Read more »
CAFS ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: EMILY LYONS JD'14
January 12, 2021
Working in private practice in Washington, D.C., this alumna focuses on food regulation while staying true to her farming roots. Read more »
LEGAL SERVICES BOOST VERMONT'S LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM
December 16, 2020
Based at Vermont Law School's Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, the Vermont Legal Food Hub connects local farmers, food producers, and related organizations with free legal services. Read more »
CAFS ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: ESTHER AKWII LLM'20 HEADS TO HARVARD
September 16, 2020
As an LLM Fellow at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS), Esther Akwii LLM'20 helped pilot a range of CAFS projects in partnership with organizations across the U.S. Read more »
FOOD AND LAND JUSTICE: 3 MUST-READ BOOKS FOR ASPIRING ATTORNEYS
September 11, 2020
Panelists from a recent Center for Agriculture and Food Systems event on structural racism in American agriculture discuss the books that inspire their work. Read more »
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: ALYSSA HARTMAN MFALP'19
July 13, 2020
As the executive director of the Artisan Grain Collaborative, a VLS alumna channels her Master’s in Food and Agriculture Law and Policy to bolster staple crop supply chains in the Upper Midwest. Read more »
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: EVA MOSS MFALP’16
April 30, 2020
After graduating from VLS's Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy program, Eva Moss moved to North Carolina and founded Heartstrong Farm. In addition to running the no-till flower-growing business, she now works as farmer and partner development manager at Farm Commons. Read more »
Alumni spotlight: carrie scrufari llm '16
April 21, 2020
Carrie Scrufari arrived at Vermont Law School in 2014 as a Food and Agriculture LLM Fellow. We caught up with Scrufari—who is now associate general counsel at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—to learn more about her time at VLS and how it served as a springboard into a food law career. Read more »
NEW COVID-19 LEGAL RESOURCE FOR FARMERS
April 7, 2020
With workplaces upended due to COVID-19, farms are finding themselves in uncharted territory. The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems created a guide to employment law for Vermont farmers and farm workers covering some of the most pressing questions raised by the novel coronavirus: from paid sick leave, to unemployment insurance, to rules for small businesses. Read more »
ALUMNI GALLERY: ALICIA NEVAQUAYA MSEL'05
February 1, 2019
As a claims representative for the Intertribal Agriculture Council, Alicia Nevaquaya MSEL’05 identified farmers and ranchers who would benefit from a USDA $760 million settlement. Read more »
Student Spotlight: Nico Lustig '19
October 9, 2018
Nico Lustig has a professional mission: to use the law to help communities, entrepreneurs, and workers create cooperatives, benefit corporations, and social enterprises that strengthen connection and cultivate human and environmental health. Read more »
CAFS Receives $1.5M Grant from National Agriculture Law Library
September 20, 2018
The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) received a $1.5 million award from the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Library (NAL). This funding will be used for a variety of initiatives addressing food and agricultural law. Read more »
Introducing Our New Food and Agriculture Clinic Director
July 30, 2018
In July, Sophia Kruszewski joined the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems to lead the Food and Agriculture Clinic. Sophia returns to Vermont Law School after spending the last five years immersed in federal food and agriculture policy. Read more »
Healthy Food Policy Project Showcases Innovative Initiatives
May 12, 2018
The Center for Agriculture and Food systems launched a national Healthy Food Policy Project to identify and elevate local laws and policies that promote access to healthy food and contribute to strong local economies, improved environmental quality, and health equity. Read more »
FARMERS MARKET LEGAL TOOLKIT PROVIDES FREE RESOURCES FOR COMMUNITIES
March 31, 2018
The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at VLS, recently played a pivotol role in launching an online Farmers Market Legal Toolkit, a free resource to support building resilient and accessible markets throughout the U.S. Read more »
OCEAN VIEW WITH ALUM MEGHAN JEANS JD/MSEL'02
July 14, 2016
VLS alum, Meghan Jeans JD/MSEL'02, Director of Conservation at the New England Aquarium in Boston, Mass., dives into the legal and policy issues related to protecting oceans and marine ecosystems.
VERMONT FOOD NETWORK WITH PAIGE TOMASELLI '04
August 13, 2016
VLS Alum Paige Tomaselli's '04 work for the Center for Food Safety has helped protect animals, the environment and public health, all while fighting "factory farms."
VERMONT FOOD NETWORK WITH NANCY AND WALTER WARNER '12
August 11, 2016
Nancy and Walter Warner '12 have been able to grow their unique jam business, thanks in large part to Walter's legal education and externships.
VERMONT FOOD NETWORK WITH AMY HUYFFER '00
August 9, 2016
As a first-year law student Huyffer aspired to be a principled small-town lawyer, instead, her days now begin with 4 a.m. milking, arranging logistics for a dairy business, and caring for her children—four boys, ages six to thirteen.
VERMONT FOOD NETWORK WITH MICHAEL FORMICA '98
August 7, 2016
While it’s become common in recent years to espouse the virtues of small, localized farming, Michael Formica isn’t one of the movement's evangelists. "I’m ‘Big Bacon,’” he says, with a laugh.
GRACE BEFORE DINNER: THE FUTURE OF FOOD
August 5, 2016
Scott Cullen '97 and GRACE Communications Foundation are cultivating relationships where philanthropy and public policy touch the overlapping spheres of food, water, and energy.
NOURISHMENT: CENTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS' MISSION
August 3, 2016
Vermont Law School's Center for Agriculture and food systems is on a mission to improve the way a nation grows and distributes its food. It's a place where students can get their hands dirty.