Posts by Gary Baise

Senior Judge W. Earl Britt issued a procedural decision in a new case on March 15, 2021, that let a complaint against Smithfield and Murphy-Brown, its subsidiary, go forward.

Gary Baise Commentaries Supreme Court to review California’s Prop 12 If the law is not overturned, one state will control farming practices across the nation. On February 26, 2021 the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) requested the U.S. Supreme Court to review whether California can set the standards for animal agriculture, based on the state’s…

Gary Baise Commentaries Can ammonia be regulated under the Clean Water Act? If this judge’s decision stands, drift from a farm operation or odor containing a pollutant will need to be regulated. Sharon V. Burrell, a judge for the Circuit Court in Montgomery, Maryland, on March 11, 2021, ruled that the Maryland Department of Environment…

The Biden Administration’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill includes $5 billion for financial aid to farmers of color who allegedly have been discriminated against by USDA. U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia was able to insert his Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act into the bill.

Sen. Warnock said he wanted to “…ensure equity in our recovery efforts and address longstanding injustices that have left some communities behind for far too long…”

Gary Baise Commentaries Waiver no more: Ethanol court decision helps corn farmers Recent EPA decision on small oil refinery waivers should help support corn market rally. A recent decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be another brick in the wall pushing up corn prices. A U.S. Supreme Court Certiorari, or judicial review of a…

Gary Baise Commentaries Is Bill Gates your farming neighbor? The Microsoft founder and billionaire allegedly owns over a quarter of a million acres. The Land Report which claims it is “the magazine of the American landowner” on January 11 posted a story claiming that Bill and Melinda Gates were the top farmland owners in the United States!…

Gary Baise Commentaries Smithfield-Murphy Brown’s loss: One judge got it right Judge Agee’s dissent in this court case loss should be read by all lawyers defending large-scale livestock farms. One of the three circuit judges in the Smithfield Murphy-Brown court case loss (reported here last week) was Steven Agee, a former justice of the Supreme Court…

Gary Baise Commentaries Smithfield’s court loss may spell trouble for large-scale livestock farmers The agricultural world changed on November 19, 2020, and few in our business noticed. Murphy-Brown, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, lost a major case on November 19, 2020. With Thanksgiving activities and election allegations, little attention was paid to this loss other…

Gary Baise Commentaries This memo could offer clues to future Biden climate policies Climate 21 Project transition memo outlines priorities for new USDA secretary. Robert Bonnie, former Under-Secretary at USDA, along with Leslie Jones, former Deputy Undersecretary at USDA, and Meryl Harrell, former Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment…

Gary Baise Commentaries California’s Prop 12 goes to court – again If the rule is allowed U.S. hog farms will be subject to out-of-state auditors and inspectors. An 8,000-word brief on behalf of hog producers was filed Jan. 14 by the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau in the U.S. Court of…