Kentucky's 67,700 farms represent an untapped opportunity in the voluntary carbon credit market, but transaction costs have kept small farmers on the sidelines of a rapidly developing global credit supply. In this blog, 2L staffer Spencer Harris argues that the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board already holds the mandate and the money through the state's $2.8 billion share of the Tobacco Master Settlement. This money can be used to subsidize the verification costs that stand between tobacco-legacy farmers and a new, recurring income stream.

In this blog, 3L senior staffer Caidan Drenk examines the growing tension between Kentucky’s statutory recognition of agritourism and the continued use of local zoning authority to regulate farm-based events such as weddings and festivals. He argues that although Kentucky law expressly recognizes these activities as agritourism, local land-use regulations can still create significant uncertainty for farmers seeking to diversify their operations. Drenk contends that the Kentucky General Assembly should clarify the relationship between agritourism statutes and local zoning authority to better protect working farms and promote agricultural sustainability.

In this blog, 2L staffer Braden Porter argues that courts reviewing pesticide registrations under the EPA should consider staying judgments, rather than vacating during active growing seasons. Porter explains that while vacatur can correct agency actions, the timing of the decisions can harm farmers who rely on federal registrations to plan for the planting and growing seasons. He argues that courts should exercise their discretion to delay the effects of vacatur and preserve their authority, while preventing disruption to seasonal industries such as agriculture.

In this blog, 2L staffer Luke Glasscock discusses how a nearly century-old safety net for farmers, dating back to the first farm bill in 1933, has given way to a federal crop insurance program that disproportionately benefits large farming operations. Glasscock contends that if federal crop insurance discouraged risk-taking in agricultural practices and subsidy caps were placed on large farms, not only could this economy of scale be reduced, but also more attention could be given to high-risk small farms.

In this blog, 2L staffer Jack Klier illustrates how the practice of home distillation brings up constitutional questions of taxation, public safety issues, and potential federal overreach. While a recent United States District Court ruling has raised important questions about Congress’s enumerated powers, Klier argues that the ruling is likely not strong enough on its merits to convince the Supreme Court to depart from its decision in Wickard.

In this blog, 3L Staffer Luke Price discusses the growing use of prediction-market platforms that allow users to profit from horse-race outcomes while operating outside traditional pari-mutuel wagering systems. Price argues that these event-contract trades function as wagering under the Interstate Horseracing Act and should therefore be subject to racing-commission oversight and consent requirements. He contends that without clarification or enforcement, prediction markets could undermine the regulatory framework designed to protect racing integrity and equine welfare. 

In this blog, 2L Staffer Georgia Arrington discusses how the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) has missed its mark by neglecting to include golf course workers as a covered group under its Worker Protection Standards (WPS). In excluding these workers and excluding golf courses that are not used for sod production from the WPS, Arrington argues FIFRA is failing to provide meaningful protection from the dangers of pesticides on golf courses. Arrington illustrates that if the increased rates of Parkinson’s disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in this cohort are not enough to demand regulatory reform, the EPA's continued approval of pesticides banned in other sectors but still used on golf courses certainly should be. 

In this blog, 2L staffer Nicholas Marini explores the ramifications of a recent EPA ruling affirming the right to repair. For years, farm equipment manufacturers paid steep premiums to repair their equipment with the manufacturers, not because the quality was better, but because they were legally required to do so.

In this blog, 2L staffer Katie Collins argues that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau should permit fruit wines, cider, and mead to display vintage labels, just as grape wines do. Collins takes the position that allowing for truthful, non-misleading vintage labels on non-grape wine allows for transparency to the consumer and creates consistency within the market. 

In this blog, 2L staffer Jordan Guancione uses the reality television show Farmer Wants a Wife as a cultural lens to discuss the legal consequences of marriage and divorce on inherited farmland, arguing that because farmland is a unique, non-liquid asset, family law should prioritize keeping farms intact during divorce and succession disputes. Guancione advocates for stronger tools to adequately protect farmland, including Kentucky’s adoption of the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act to prevent forced land sales. 

In this blog, 2L staffer Emma Jury illustrates how popular media often suggests that nature thrives when there is human withdrawal rather than human engagement. she examines how the Wilderness Act of 1964, though celebrated by some, now limits important scientific research and disregards Indigenous land stewardship in many laws. Jury contends that reimagining the wilderness and rewriting our laws to include responsible human use and protection may be essential to preserving our ecosystems and our unique biodiversity. 

In the face of growing global competition, the U.S. accelerates its decoupling from China’s monopoly on critical minerals. The American legal landscape, however, prohibits continuity in the pursuit of mineral independence. In this blog, 2L staffer Lexi Frazier argues that the Congressional Review Act is a vital tool for establishing regulatory certainty in pursuing mineral projects, so long as Congress exercises scrutiny in protecting projects that genuinely implicate national security. 

In this blog, 2L staffer Lauren Barnhorn highlights how the United States has shifted its tone from international cooperation concerning outer space to privatization and utilization of space’s resources for its own economic and military interests.  Barnhorn illustrates how this shift does not comport with the signed Outer Space Treaty’s ban on national appropriation and its requirement for the peaceful uses of outer space.  She argues in order to guarantee scientific discoveries and promote the interests of all mankind, the United States must abide by international law.

In this blog, 2L staffer Conner Jackson examines how federal trade policy and retaliatory tariffs on bourbon exports have affected Kentucky's agricultural sector. He contends that trade retaliation directed at bourbon exports creates an economic harm that extends beyond distilleries to Kentucky agricultural producers. Based on past state responses and existing statutory frameworks, he argues that Kentucky can adopt a loss-based compensation program to support its farm producers amid the current trade disputes.  

In this blog, 2L staffer Johnna Adams argues that the Second Chance Act (SCA), which has already been proven effective at reducing recidivism, should be expanded to include equine-assisted rehabilitation programs. Adams explains how these programs help participants overcome unique challenges that traditional rehabilitation models often fail to address through hands-on work with horses. Adams contends that by broadening the SCA’s coverage, recidivism can be further reduced without the need for additional spending.

In this blog, 3L Staffer Jacob Krummen examines Kentucky House Bill 630, introduced in the 2025 Regular Session in order to change eminent domain laws in Kentucky, protect certain uses of land, and strike a balance between development and conservation. Krummen argues the proposed changes in the bill would substantially impair the development of critical infrastructure in Kentucky and should undergo significant revisions before it is made into law.

Many fear the health effects of PFAS “forever chemicals,” which have permeated our environment and are now present in our food, water, and everyday products. In this blog, 2L staffer Holly Lefevre explores the growing concern over the presence of these chemicals in breastmilk and the legal and policy failures that allowed this situation to develop. She highlights the critical steps that policymakers, corporations, and communities must take to help protect infants and families.

Heirs' property ownership is increasingly unstable and fragmented. In this blog, 3L Senior Staffer Ben Bertram argues for the implementation of the Uniform Partition of Heirs' Property Act to protect family-owned farms and ancestral land from forced sales and speculative exploitation. Bertram contends that the procedural adjustments required by the UPHPA are outweighed by the preservation of rural land ownership.

In this blog, 2L staffer Aaron Withers examines Kentucky’s emerging shift from a coal-based economy to advanced nuclear and critical-mineral projects on retired mine sites. He argues that this transition is welcome only if implemented through a community-centered legal framework with strict siting requirements, enforceable local-benefit obligations, and long-term accountability to prevent repeating past harms.

In this blog, 2L staffer Alexander Bowman tackles the issue of whether new equine inspection laws for racehorses should be extended to apply to show horses as well. Bowman discusses the new inspection laws and analyzes the benefits of them. Next, he discusses the potentially injurious effects on show horses without these inspection laws. Bowman recommends that these laws should be applied to show horses in a uniform manner through the creation of a similar independent agency like the KHRGC.