Category Archives: Agriculture Law

DTN writer Todd Neeley reported yesterday that, “A Texas court has issued an injunction against the 2015 waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule after the Texas attorney general’s office told the court it was ready to appeal to a higher court. “As a result of a South Carolina court’s recent ruling, the rule… Continue Reading

A recent update from USDA’s Economic Research Service (“Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Only 0.11 Percent of Farm Estates Would Have Owed Estate Taxes in 2016“) stated that, “For nearly a century, the Federal estate tax has applied to the transfer of property at death. Recently passed in December 2017, the Tax Cuts… Continue Reading

A news release Tuesday from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) stated that, “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today launched the trade mitigation package aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations.  Producers of certain commodities can now sign up for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), while USDA… Continue Reading

Wall Street Journal writer Ruth Bender reported yesterday that, “Bayer AG said the number of American plaintiffs alleging its recently acquired weedkillers cause cancer has risen sharply, adding to concerns about potentially lengthy and costly litigation stemming from its acquisition of Monsanto. “The German chemicals company on Wednesday also lowered its full-year earnings outlook because… Continue Reading

A news update last week from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated that, “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today unveiled a new webpage featuring information about the importance of rural e-Connectivity and the ways the [USDA] is investing to help deploy high-speed broadband infrastructure in rural America. “‘Rural high-speed broadband e-Connectivity is as… Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) indicated on Thursday that, “Net farm income, a broad measure of profits, is forecast to decrease $9.8 billion (13.0 percent) from 2017 to $65.7 billion in 2018, after increasing $13.9 billion (22.5 percent) in 2017. Net cash farm income is forecast to decrease $12.4 billion (12.0… Continue Reading

Bloomberg writers Joel Rosenblatt and Lydia Mulvany reported yesterday that, “When it comes to killing weeds, Bayer AG’s crop chemical XtendiMax has become a powerful new tool for American farmers. But environmental groups say U.S. regulators ignored warnings about the herbicide’s main ingredient, dicamba, when they permitted its use in 2016. “A federal appeals court in Seattle was… Continue Reading

A news update on Monday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) stated that, “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced details of actions the [USDA] will take to assist farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation by foreign nations. President Donald J. Trump directed Secretary Perdue to… Continue Reading

Reuters writer Tina Bellon reported yesterday that, “A federal appeals court on Wednesday will hear oral arguments in a lawsuit brought by environmental groups who have asked the court to review the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2016 approval of Monsanto’s dicamba-based XtendiMax weed killer. “The groups allege the EPA’s decision to allow the sale of… Continue Reading

DTN writer Pam Smith reported last week that, “How dicamba goes to the field in 2019 is still up in the air, but an Illinois group has joined similar efforts to make sure the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hears concerns and to offer alternatives to current regulations.” Ms. Smith indicated that, “A historic number… Continue Reading