Engine Groups Request Supreme Court to Hear E15 Case
The Engine Products Group has requested that the Supreme Court grant an appeal of the D.C. Circuit's decision to dismiss a challenge to EPA's decision to allow E15 fuel for commercial sale.
View ArticleAre State GM Food Labeling Laws Constitutional?
Several states are proposing laws that would require food companies to label whether its products contain GM ingredients. This post analyzes whether these laws are constitutional under the Commerce...
View ArticleEPA Releases CAFO Information, Activist Lawsuits Could Be on the Rise
EPA has released information regarding CAFOs from over 30 states to a group of environmental activists. We can expect these activists to use this information to bring lawsuits aimed at disrupting...
View ArticleSupreme Court Hears Arguments in Roundup Ready Soybeans Patent Case
Today the U.S. Supreme Court is going to hear a case that will determine the breadth of patent rights as they apply to self-pollinating seeds.
View ArticleEminent Domain: A Threat, But Reasons to Be Optimistic
Eminent domain threatens farmer's private property rights, especially in the wake of the Kelo decision. But, states and local governments are stepping up to protect private property rights by...
View ArticleChicken Farmer, American Farm Bureau Don't Want to Let EPA Off the Hook
Lois Alt, a West Virginia chicken farmer, American Farm Bureau Federation, and West Virginia Farm Bureau will not consent to dismissal of a case Alt brought against the EPA for overzealous enforcement...
View ArticleCourt Tells EPA to "Get Real" on Cellulosic Ethanol Standard
Today, the Circuit Court for the District of Columbia gave both the EPA and the American Petroleum Institute a little of what they wanted in a lawsuit over the advanced biofuel component of the...
View ArticleA Court Decision That Could Haunt Animal Agriculture
The 2009 decision in National Cotton Council v. EPA could have dire consequences for animal agriculture as EPA and state environmental agencies seek novel methods to regulate livestock operations.
View ArticleHSUS, Horse Slaughter & Paper(work) Tigers
Animal rights activists intend to use a New Mexico lawsuit related to horse slaughter to advance a novel legal argument that could make opening any type of slaughter facility much more difficult.
View ArticleCourt Allows Farm Bureau Suit Against EPA to Proceed
A West Virginia federal court denied EPA's motion to dismiss in an action that will require EPA to defend its position that CAFOs are required to obtain NPDES permits on the basis that dust and...
View ArticleCan Activist Groups Use Drones to Spy on Farmers?
There is increasing concern within the agricultural community that activist groups will use drones to spy on farming operations.
View ArticleSupreme Court Decision a Win for Agricultural Innovation
In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Monsanto in a Roundup Ready soybeans patent infringement case.
View ArticleHurting Farmers to Spite Biotech Companies
Some in Congress wish to overturn the "Farmer Assurance Provision," pejoratively known as the Monsanto Protection Act. This shouldn't happen.
View ArticleLatest mCOOL regs will have USDA Singing “O Canada”
USDA's newest mCOOL regulations have irked our neighbors to the North, and for good reason.
View ArticleUSDA Gives Go-Ahead on Horse Slaughter . . . For Now
USDA issued Valley Meat, a Roswell, NM-based slaughter facility a grant of inspection to commence horse slaughter. However, funding for horse slaughter inspection will likely be banned on October 1, 2013.
View ArticleSupreme Court Draws the Line on Genes and Patents
SCOTUS has issued an opinion stating that naturally-occurring DNA cannot be patented. What does this mean for agriculture?
View ArticleEPA Steps Up Criminal Enforcement Efforts Against Livestock Farmers
EPA is seeking criminal fines and imprisonment for some livestock operators
View ArticleDeadline to Apply for Potash Class Action Funds Approaching
Several potash manufacturers have set aside $110 M in funds to settle a price-fixing class action lawsuit. The deadline to submit a claim is August 1, 2013.
View ArticleHUGE Win for Agriculture in W.Va. Poultry Case
A West Virginia poultry farmer has come out on top in a dispute of national importance that pitted American Farm Bureau against EPA and environmental activist groups
View ArticleA Win for Agriculture in Tile Drain Case
Farm drain tiles are not a point-source of pollution under the Clean Water Act.
View ArticleLivestock & meat groups want COOL relief pending WTO review
Several livestock and meat packer trade associations recently requested that USDA and USTR hold off on implementing its new mCOOL rule pending the outcome of a WTO challenge.
View ArticleJudge Denies Attempt to Stop New COOL Rule
D.C. District Court Judge Ketanji Jackson denied a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop implementation of the new Country-of-Origin Labeling rule.
View ArticleMandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling: A Short-Sighted, Protectionist Scheme
November 23rd was a significant date for the livestock and meat industry. After more than a decade of lobbying, litigating, and haranguing, all fresh cuts of beef, pork, lamb and chicken sold in retail...
View ArticleNH GMO Labeling Measure Fails – Common Sense Prevails in the Granite State
The New Hampshire House of Representatives delivered a victory for agriculture and consumers on Wednesday. The House defeated a bill that would have required food sold in grocery stores and certain...
View ArticleOSHA Games the System to Target Small Farmers
There is frequent tension between the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law. Obeying the “spirit of the law” means following the intent of those who drafted it. Following the “letter of the...
View Article10 Things to Watch in 2014
With 2013 nearly in the books and the holiday season nearly behind us, its time to prepare for the challenges that face us in the coming year. While I am no expert on forecasting long-range weather...
View ArticleEnvironmentalists, Glyphosate and Butterflies
Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) has petitioned EPA to restrict the use of glyphosate herbicide to protect the dwindling population of the monarch butterfly. The petition states that the rapid...
View ArticleJudge: Commercial Drones are Legal
An administrative judge for the National Transportation Safety Board ruled that FAA regulations do not prohibit the use of small drones for commercial purposes.
View ArticleAppeals Court Upholds mCOOL
On Friday, a unanimous panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld USDA’s controversial mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (mCOOL) rule. The mCOOL rule requires that fresh muscle cuts of beef,...
View ArticleLawyer Up! Vermont legislature passes GMO labeling bill
Yesterday, Vermont's legislature became the first state in the Union to pass a GMO labeling bill that is not contingent on other states passing similar legislation. Vermont's governor, Peter Shumlin,...
View ArticleCan EPA Regulate Animal Operations as Landfills?
Four Washington State dairies are the targets of environmental activists in lawsuits that could have far-reaching consequences for animal agriculture in the United States. In these cases, the...
View ArticleEPA stomps off the playground
Faced with a potential lost that would have major ramifications for its CAFO enforcement strategy, EPA has withdrawn its appeal of a lower court decision, Alt v. EPA.
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