Wetlands are in the news again this summer after a company challenged whether the USDA could withhold federal benefits under Swampbuster.

After a major litigation win for our farmer clients in 2024, the Indiana General Assembly has proposed changes to the way the Indiana Grain Buyers and Warehouse Licensing Agency will function.

There are many companies offering farmers cash to sign soil carbon contracts. What is in these contracts and should you sign up your farm?

I asked Chat GPT to draft a farmland lease. Here are the results and my analysis.

Online revenue management platforms for landlords are being challenged as price fixing tools. What will the implications be for tenant farmers?

The USDA is going to collect massive amounts of ag data as part of the Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities. How is all the data collected and how will it be used?

The updated Core Principles for Ag Data now address the need for simple contracts, properly identifying data sharing partners, anonymization and AI.

Ten years ago American Farm Bureau published the Privacy and Security Principles for Farm Data. In 2024, these “Core Principles” for use of ag data have been updated.

What do these commonly used climate change terms mean for the farm?

Last year the standard for review for administrative decisions was upended (Indiana and federal level). Recently our Court of Appeals explained that this change does not apply to zoning appeals.

There are a number of agricultural bills being considered this session, including one which would impact livestock farmers across the state by requiring additional site inspections.

Competition for groundwater is leading states and counties to change the way they regulate subsurface water.

A series of recent New York Times articles have sounded the alarm about PFAS chemicals in biosolids being land applied as fertilizer to agricultural ground. Is the concern legit?

Two recent Indiana Supreme Court cases shed light on how the utility regulatory commission could, in the future, decide that county solar zoning ordinances are unreasonable and therefore void.

The Supreme Court overturned Chevron in June. Now, instead of deferring to administrative agencies’ interpretation, courts must exercise their own “independent judgment” as to statutory construction. This change will have far-reaching consequences for agricultural and environmental regulations.

In a recent zoning dispute, an Indiana judge ruled that tacos are legally sandwiches.

On April 16, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that property owners could pursue their federal inverse condemnation claims against the State of Texas through the existing state law.

A new 2024 law changes the way people challenge administrative decisions, especially IDEM appeals.

In the Midwest, we’ve historically had more than enough water for everyone. This usually meant a hands off approach to water regulation. But 2024 may be the year that changes the status quo.