Overview Federal crop insurance is an important part of the agricultural safety net, helping farmers manage production and revenue risks. The program, however, depends on accurate reporting and compliance with policy requirements. Deliberately falsifying production records or other material information to obtain benefits can lead to consequences far beyond repayment. […]Read more »
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Overview For decades federal agencies have repeatedly attempted to expand their regulatory authority beyond the boundaries established by Congress. Few areas demonstrate this tendency more clearly than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) interpretation of the phrase “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA). For farmers, […]Read more »
Introduction On October 19, 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it would make $8 billion available for one-time payments to American farmers through the Harvest Fuel Relief (HFR) Program. USDA says the program is intended to offset a portion of producers’ modeled losses associated with higher production […]Read more »
Overview Agricultural operations are inherently subject to financial uncertainty. Drought, rising input costs, declining commodity prices, and livestock losses can quickly undermine even a carefully constructed farm debt repayment plan. For “family farmers” reorganizing under Chapter 12 of the Bankruptcy Code, the ability to adjust a confirmed plan when circumstances […]Read more »
Overview Kansas water law rests on a fundamental principle: water rights are property rights, and the exercise of those rights is governed by the state’s system of prior appropriation. But what happens when efforts to address declining groundwater supplies impose restrictions that treat water rights differently based on something other […]Read more »
Overview President Trump’s October 5, 2026, Executive Order on diesel fuel tax relief has created new opportunities for farmers facing high fuel costs. The order directs federal agencies to provide temporary relief involving red-dyed diesel, including penalty relief for certain highway uses through December 31, 2026. But farmers should be […]Read more »
Overview Water disputes in the arid West have always involved more than competing farmers and ranchers. Increasingly, they involve the federal government, federal land-management agencies, and the tension between state water law and federal interests. A recent decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Baker Ranches, […]Read more »
Overview Access to agricultural land can be just as important as title to the land itself. A ranch may be privately owned, but if the owner lacks legally enforceable vehicle access to a public road, the practical ability to use, manage, lease, improve, or sell the property can be severely […]Read more »
Overview Federal agencies must operate within the authority granted to them by statute and regulation. An agency handbook may provide guidance to agency personnel, but it generally cannot create a substantive eligibility restriction that does not exist in governing law. A recent federal district court decision involving an FSA County […]Read more »
Overview Kansas royalty owners and oil-and-gas producers received important guidance from the Kansas Supreme Court concerning a recurring question in royalty litigation: When does natural gas become “marketable,” and who pays the costs incurred to get it to that point? In Cooper-Clark Foundation v. Scout Energy Management, LLC,[1] the court […]Read more »