Bowman Appreciates Diverse Aspects of Ag Law

Jeffrey Bowman’s family has deep roots in agriculture, which may be why the “hands on” approach of being a law clerk at Janzen Schroeder Ag Law is appealing to him. A second-year law student at Indiana University’s McKinney School of Law, Bowman is pursuing a legal degree to help his family ag enterprise continue to evolve.

Bowman is a native of rural Bargersville, Indiana, where he grew up surrounded by horses, row crops and animal agriculture. He earned a degree in political science from IUPUI (now IU Indianapolis) and worked for Bowman Family Holdings in regulatory compliance for livestock operations. To enhance his knowledge in the government affairs arena, he began graduate work in public affairs.

 A class on lobbying changed his path when a professor offered a pivotal piece of advice: If you really want to work in government affairs, go to law school. Bowman followed that advice and said he is learning that there are many elements of ag law to consider.

 “Agriculture is impacted by many elements of the legal profession from land use and environmental regulation to constitutional questions and property rights,” Bowman says. “People don’t always realize how much legal work goes into keeping farms operating.”

 His experience at Janzen Schroeder Ag Law is providing firsthand experience with several aspects of these aspects of ag law. “I’m helping with actual cases,” he says of his clerk work. “I’m learning litigation, drafting documents, and seeing how environmental law, land use, and property law show up in everyday agricultural issues. It’s incredibly interesting.”

Future plans including bringing his legal expertise to the family enterprise as it navigates the rapidly changing world of agriculture. “Protecting the ability to farm is becoming more important,” he says. “Our family wants to keep moving the pork industry forward, with a legal landscape that is always changing.”