Category Archives: Agriculture Law

Donnelle Eller and Lucas Grundmeier reported on the front page of today’s Des Moines Register that, “A federal judge has ruled that Iowa’s ‘ag gag’ law is unconstitutional, saying the industry-backed statute violates the First Amendment’s free-speech protections. “Senior Judge James Gritzner granted summary judgment Wednesday to a group that sued over the law. “‘Today’s decision… Continue Reading

A news update yesterday from USDA noted that, “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today extended the deadline for agricultural producers to apply for payments under the Market Facilitation Program as provided by the trade mitigation program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The original deadline had been January 15, 2019, but farmers… Continue Reading

DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported yesterday that, “The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied attempts to make oral arguments before the court by 15 states in lawsuits against California and Massachusetts over claims of regulating agricultural production across state lines. “Without commentary, the Supreme Court denied a pair of court cases, including Missouri… Continue Reading

DTN writer Todd Neeley reported late last month that, “Expected court decisions on the 2015 waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule early in 2019 likely will clear up any confusion farmers, ranchers and other landowners have on jurisdictional questions. “As a result of several ongoing lawsuits, the 2015 rule remains in effect in… Continue Reading

Jeremy Olson reported recently at the Minneapolis Star Tribune Online that, “Minnesota’s top environmental regulator has denied a permit for a large swine feedlot in southeastern Minnesota, citing concerns about the region’s already-troubled groundwater, though the decision has not quashed the project. “Commissioner John Linc Stine, of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), said Tuesday… Continue Reading

In a report last month from CoBank (“Grain Elevator Outlook 2018/2019“), Will Secor indicated that, “Storage capacity will be pushed to the limit in some regions this year.  2018 is the fifth consecutive year that U.S. corn and soybean yields are above trend for the nation. “However, some regional storage surpluses have started to emerge… Continue Reading

Attorneys at the National Agricultural Law Center have compiled the top legal and policy developments that affected agriculture in 2018. The top two are listed below: “(1) For pesticides and herbicides, several important legal developments occurred, specifically affecting dicamba, glyphosate, and chlorpyrifos. “In late October, EPA extended the registration of dicamba through Dec. 20, 2020…. Continue Reading

In a front page article in the Business section of Tuesday’s Minneapolis Star Tribune, Adam Belz reported that, “Minnesota is closing in on North Carolina to be the second-largest hog-producing state in the nation. “According to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Minnesota’s pig population on Dec. 1 was 8.9 million, or 400,000… Continue Reading

A news release yesterday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicated that, “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard. The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law, passed by Congress in July of 2016, directed USDA to establish this national mandatory standard for disclosing foods that are or may… Continue Reading

Associated Press writer Ryan J. Foley reported yesterday that, “A Missouri farmer and businessman ripped off consumers nationwide by falsely marketing more than $140 million worth of corn, soybeans and wheat as certified organic grains, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. “The long-running fraud scheme outlined in court documents by prosecutors in Iowa is one of the… Continue Reading