Should Rural Landowners be Worried about PFAS?
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How worried should farmers and rural landowners be about PFAS liability?
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The Schroeder Ag Blog addresses issues facing farmers, ranchers, and businesses involved with crops, livestock, dairy, and meat production.
Climate Change and Dairy Cows
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The climate is changing. How will that impact dairy production?
Read MoreLessons from Criminal Prosecution of Pennsylvania Dairy Farm
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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.
Read MoreIs a Zoning Moratorium Legal?
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Agriculture, it seems, has a zoning problem. On top of the various state or federal permits a farm or agribusiness may be required to obtain before starting construction, local zoning ordinances can create yet another layer of red tape.
Read MoreNew Roadmap to Address PFAS
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This month, the Biden Administration announced a new plan to combat PFAS contamination. This federal roadmap will impact agricultural producers, especially dairy farms near military bases.
Read MoreMethane Gas and Livestock Farms -- a Win for Agriculture
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Dairy farms—and other livestock operations—can be a leader in the battle against climate change. Emissions from livestock farms should be measured differently than the emissions from fossil fuels.
Read MoreAnimal Agriculture and Contract Disruptions
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Contracts are being disrupted, cancelled, and breached because of COVID-19 and the economic ripples it has caused throughout the world. No one is exempt from this.
Read MoreProtect Your Farm Against Undercover Video
/Farms can take certain steps to avoid being the target of the activist groups that use undercover videos in an attempt to turn consumers against commercial livestock production.
Read MoreCarbon Credits for Cows
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Livestock farmers are famous for their efficiency — livestock farms grow crops which they feed to their animals and then use the manure from the animals to fertilize their crops. This mindset makes farmers perfectly situated to participate in the carbon credit marketplace.
Read MoreDairy Farm PFAS Contamination
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A New Mexico dairy farmer has been in the news lately, and it isn’t good news. He is dumping milk, letting employees go, and terminating cows because his dairy is contaminated with PFAS, a dangerous family of man-made chemicals that have seeped into the groundwater from a nearby Air Force base.
Read MoreConsumer Demands are Changing Livestock Farms
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Consumers have an endless variety of options at the grocery store these days. How are consumer demands impacting livestock farms?
Read MoreRefresher Course: Indiana Right to Farm Act
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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.
Read MoreWhat does the $50M hog farm verdict mean for livestock farms?
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On April 26, 2018, a North Carolina jury awarded 10 plaintiffs a total of $50 million in punitive damages and $750,000 in compensatory damages for damages allegedly caused by a nearby hog farm. What does this mean for other livestock producers?
Read MoreDoes Running a Dairy Farm Violate Your Neighbor's Religious Rights?
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On January 16, 2018, the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a county decision to allow a dairy to build a new farm in rural Rush County. The Court rejected arguments made by a nearby camp that the dairy's special exception would violate its religious rights.
Read MoreWhat are Others Saying about Air Emissions Reporting?
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A federal court stayed the mandate requiring many livestock producers to report air emissions from manure until January 22, 2018. We are awaiting further guidance from EPA. In the meantime, here is what others are saying.
Read MoreLivestock Air Emissions Reporting: What's Next?
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Livestock producers are not yet required to report air emissions under the Clean Air Act, but that will soon change. On January 22, 2018, this new obligation for farms is expected to take effect.
Read MoreFour Major Federal Agriculture Stories from 2017
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The past 365 days have been a wild ride, complete with major changes to federal programs relied on by farmers and ag businesses. Four federal stories dominated 2017: WOTUS, NAFTA, GIPSA, and Air Emissions.
Read MoreCourt Delays Livestock Operations Air Emissions Reporting Requirement
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A November 15, 2017 deadline for livestock operations to report air emissions was delayed by a federal court. The reporting requirements are delayed until at least January 22, 2017. Hold off on any reporting until we hear more from the Court and/or the EPA.
Read MoreIndiana Legislative Committee Hears Testimony on Livestock Rules
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The Indiana Legislature's Interim Study Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources is considering whether any changes should be made to Indiana confined feeding laws.
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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?