Agriculture Law Education
The Agriculture Law Education Program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Extension informs and teaches producers about the laws that apply to their farms. It is a resource to learn more about your rights and responsibilities under the law and how it applies to your farm.
How UMES Extension Can Help
UMES Extension’s Agriculture Law Education Program holds workshops and webinars, and releases publications and articles on a variety of legal topics. The Agriculture Law Education Program also presents at conferences and symposia, including UMES Extension’s Small Farm Conference, Maryland Agritourism Conference and the Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI) Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference.
UMES Extension legal specialists collaborate with UMES’ and other land-grant institutions’ faculty and staff on grant-funded projects, providing legal research, scholarship and outreach. Our legal specialists often team up with UMES Extension’s Small Farm and Economic & Value-added Agriculture programs.
Nicole Cook, environmental and agricultural faculty legal specialist, and Samantha Capaldo, senior legal research associate, are members of the ALEI working group. ALEI legal specialists educate state, national and international agricultural communities on aspects of agricultural law.
Nicole Cook also oversees the Maryland Sea Grant law and policy fellowship program. Legal fellows conduct legal scholarship and provide education for government agencies, coastal industries and towns addressing coastal law and policy in Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay, including aquaculture.
Agriculture Law Education previously held a MyFaRM classes, providing information and assistance in developing risk management plans that cover the unique needs of an individual farm.
Publications and Resources
A Guide to Workers’ Compensation for Maryland Agricultural Workers
Maryland Risk Management Education Blog
Additional resources, including videos, blogs and webinars, can be accessed on the ALEI page.
In the News
ALEI Quarterly News Update 2026: Quarter Two
Closing the Gaps Reforming Maryland Controls on Veterinary Antimicrobial Distribution (Journal of Food Law & Policy): By Samantha Capaldo and Kerry McClaughry
Which ag employers have to purchase workers’ comp? (Ag Law): By Samantha Capaldo, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
How the Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act Will Impact Agriculture (Lay of the Law): By Nicole Cook, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Looking at seasonal ag employment laws, winter layoffs (Ag Law): By Nicole Cook, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Maryland’s laws for raising honey bees (Ag Law): By Nicole Cook, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
ALEI Quarterly News Update 2026: Quarter One
ALEI Quarterly News Update: Quarter Four
ALEI Quarterly News Update: Quarter Three
ALEI Quarterly News Update: Quarter Two
https://www.chesapeakequarterly.net
Contact Us
Nicole Cook
Environmental and Agricultural Faculty Legal Specialist
Phone: 410-651-6182
Email: nlcook@umes.edu
Samantha Capaldo
Senior Legal Research Associate
Phone: 410-651-7217
Email: smcapaldo@umes.edu
The information on this page is made available for educational purposes. If a post deals with a legal issue, then it is only to give general information and a general understanding of specific legal issues and is not to provide legal advice. No attorney-client relationship between you and the author(s). If you need legal help, please contact the author and they will help you find an attorney in your area.
