NASDA, NASDA Foundation, and National Agricultural Law Center Enter MOU to Strengthen Agricultural Policy Education and Student Opportunities

Press Release

ROGERS, Ark. - The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the NASDA Foundation, and the National Agricultural Law Center signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand collaboration on agricultural law, policy, research and student development initiatives today at the NASDA Annual Meeting.

"This MOU formalizes the long-term partnership between NASDA, the NASDA Foundation, and the National Agricultural Law Center, building on our shared history of collaboration and creating new opportunities to inform agricultural policy, education and public engagement," NASDA & NASDA Foundation President, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture, Wes Ward said.

"NASDA has been a key partner for the National Ag Law Center for many years, and this strategic partnership will further enhance our ability to fulfill our national agricultural law research and information mission. We're looking forward to launching several new initiatives in the coming weeks and months that will help us better serve state agriculture departments and others through the nation's agricultural industry," Harrison Pittman, Center Director for the National Ag Law Center said.

Through this agreement, the three institutions commit to strengthening their longstanding partnership by launching new student-focused programs and hosting joint conferences. The MOU will also create opportunities to further shared agricultural education and public engagement efforts.

Key components of the MOU include:

• Student Engagement: Expansion of NASDA's Next Generation (NNG) student program and the establishment of law-focused student fellowships, beginning with the Scott E. Fancher Agricultural Law NALC-NASDA Summer Fellowship.
• Joint Events: Co-hosting conferences and events, including a new annual program in Washington, D.C., with its inaugural event anticipated in spring 2026.
• Shared Publicity and Outreach: Collaborating on communications, cross-promotion and resource sharing to expand the reach of each organization.

###

NASDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association which represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries and directors of the departments of agriculture in all 50 states and four U.S. territories. NASDA enhances American food and agricultural communities through policy, partnerships and public engagement. To learn more about NASDA, please visit https://www.nasda.org.

The NASDA Foundation is the only educational and research organization that directly serves the nation's state departments of agriculture. The NASDA Foundation's mission is to enhance American food and agricultural communities through education, outreach and research. The NASDA Foundation works with states to nourish people and communities while serving as the stewards of the environment and public trust. To learn more about the NASDA Foundation, please visit nasda.org/nasda-foundation/.

Created by Congress in 1987, the National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation's leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. The NALC works with producers, agribusinesses, state and federal policymakers, lenders, Congressional staffers, attorneys, land grant universities, students, and many others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information to the nation's agricultural community. The NALC is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library.