No Deference to the Agency? Environmental Appeals in Indiana have Changed.

No Deference to the Agency? Environmental Appeals in Indiana have Changed.

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

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Prop 12: Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to California's Law Impacting National Hog Market

Prop 12: Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to California's Law Impacting National Hog Market

On May 11, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to California’s Prop 12 law, dealing a blow to livestock agriculture.

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A Bee is a Fish; an Elephant is not a Human

A Bee is a Fish; an Elephant is not a Human

If the title of this blog confuses you, welcome to the club! Two recent court decisions have sent us back to high school science class. Let’s take a look.

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State Legislation Threatening Livestock Farms

State Legislation Threatening Livestock Farms

While we are all watching to see what the Supreme Court does with California’s Prop 12, other state livestock laws have popped up across the country. Some could put livestock farms out of business entirely.

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Lessons from Criminal Prosecution of Pennsylvania Dairy Farm

Lessons from Criminal Prosecution of Pennsylvania Dairy Farm

A Pennsylvania Court of Appeals recently directed a local prosecutor to bring charges against a dairy farm for animal abuse and cruelty based on a private criminal complaint filed by an activist group.

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Court Rejects Novel Air Emissions Argument Against CFO

Court Rejects Novel Air Emissions Argument Against CFO

An Indiana court recently rejected a new argument advanced by opponents of a CFO. I was happy to work with the state’s attorney to defend the CFO permit.

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Federal Court Rules on Iowa and Arkansas "Ag Gag" Laws

Federal Court Rules on Iowa and Arkansas "Ag Gag" Laws

The First Amendment does not protect all speech. A federal appeals court just ruled it does not give a person the right to gain access to a farm by “false pretenses.” On the other hand, the court held the First Amendment does protect certain false statements made as part of an employment application.

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Five Keys to a Successful Feed Contamination Case

Five Keys to a Successful Feed Contamination Case

We have successfully handled feed contamination cases and I’ve learned that there are five evidentiary keys to these disputes.

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Comment

Mississippi Court Protects Farmers' Deer Cannon Use

Mississippi Court Protects Farmers' Deer Cannon Use

The Supreme Court of Mississippi recently ruled that the state’s Right to Farm Act protected farmers’ use of cannons to scare deer away from fields where the farms had been in operation for more than one year.

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Litigating in the Age of Covid: Three Big Things (and the Cat Lawyer)

Litigating in the Age of Covid: Three Big Things (and the Cat Lawyer)

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 virus stopping the world in its tracks, my mind wandered to more superficial things this pandemic has changed. Namely—how we litigate . Three big changes jump to mind.

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Beer and Corn Syrup: Deception or Consumer Preference?

Beer and Corn Syrup: Deception or Consumer Preference?

If you can remember way way back to February 2019, the internet was abuzz over the Bud Light Super Bowl commercial criticizing Miller Light and Coors Light for using corn syrup. Since the Super Bowl, Bud Light continued to run more corn syrup ads. But were the ads deceptive or did they just cater to consumer preferences?

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How Indiana's Trespass Law Differs from "Ag Gag" Laws

How Indiana's Trespass Law Differs from "Ag Gag" Laws

Indiana’s agricultural trespass law is different than many states “ag gag” laws. The ACLU recently challenged Iowa’s “ag gag” law—could Indiana be next?

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Refresher Course: Indiana Right to Farm Act

Refresher Course: Indiana Right to Farm Act

I spent some time on a college campus recently teaching an Ag Law class about the Indiana Right to Farm Act. This was a good chance for me to think about the Act in a new light and reminded me of two key facts about the Act.

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Comment

WOTUS Rule Back On (For Now)

WOTUS Rule Back On (For Now)

In the constant back and forth of numerous court cases across the country, regulatory action, and congressional posturing, it can be hard to keep track of what waters the EPA has jurisdiction over any more. Most recently, a federal district court in South Carolina issued an order striking a rule that would delay implementation of the 2015 WOTUS definition.

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Comment

Farmer Group Challenges Trump Rollback of GIPSA Rules

Farmer Group Challenges Trump Rollback of GIPSA Rules

On December 14, 2017, a farmer group filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's rollback of two controversial GIPSA rules intended to protect individual farmers.

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