Aug. 29, 2022
Sept. 7 webinar to offer insights to students exploring ag, food law careers
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts
- Webinar features BASF Senior Counsel Caleb Pearson
- Webinar is Sept. 7 noon-1 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m.-noon Central
- Register online
(376 words)
(Newsrooms: with art; Pearson requested use of courtesy title on 2nd reference throughout)
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It was the collegiate organization MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences) and a summer job that helped shape Caleb Pearson’s career.
Mr. Pearson majored in agricultural economics at Purdue’s School of Agriculture with the eye to a career in commodities. However, in his senior year, he decided to pursue a career in law and enrolled at Howard University School of Law.
“I was fortunate enough to land an extraordinary summer law clerk position at the then-Dow AgroSciences — now Corteva — where my first real-world experience was in agriculture, environmental, biotechnology, and food law,” he said. “From there, the rest is history.”
Mr. Pearson, senior counsel at BASF, will be sharing details of that decision on Sept. 7, during a webinar that is part of the “Growing Careers in Agricultural Law” series hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center and the American Agricultural Law Association.
There’s no cost to attend the webinar, and registration is available online. The webinar begins at noon Eastern/11 a.m. Central.
Vast field
“The essential thing to understand is that the world of food and agriculture law is vast,” Pearson said. “Agriculture and food is an umbrella that contains environmental laws such as the Federal Insecticide, Rodenticide, and Fungicide Act; the Clean Water Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act—to name a few. Additionally, agriculture lawyers specialize in litigation, regulatory law, and policy.”
Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center, said the “Growing Careers” series is meant to encourage students considering a legal career to look at agriculture and food law. "Growing Careers" is part of the NALC’s Bridges Initiative, a public-private partnership offering professional development, networking, and increased legal knowledge to pre-college, undergraduate, and law students interested in agricultural and food law issues and careers.
“Caleb is a great example of someone who found a home in this field,” Pittman said. “I think what he will say will help those exploring various career avenues to have firsthand insights into this worthy career path.”
Mr. Pearson said that “the most satisfying thing about my work is that I can be a part of an organization with a strong track record in helping to feed the citizens of the United States and other people across the world.”
For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit https://nationalaglawcenter.org/ or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter.
About the National Agricultural Law Center
The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. The Center works with producers, state and federal policymakers, Congressional staffers, attorneys, land grant universities, and many others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information to the nation’s agricultural community.
The center 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.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us in Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment)
without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital
or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other
legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
Media contact:
Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu
501-671-2006