Local Agricultural Policy
Agricultural Law Weekly Review—June 5, 2023
Farmland Preservation: Appraiser Pleads Guilty to Agricultural Conservation Easement Fraud 🌾
On May 12, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a North Carolina land appraiser, Walter “Terry” Douglas Roberts II, pleaded guilty to fraudulently inflating the value of at least eighteen agricultural conservation easements “by at least 70%,” allowing landowners to claim fraudulent tax deductions. United States v. Lewis, No. 1:21-cr-00231 (N.D. Ga.). The DOJ stated that the inflated appraisals led to more than $460 million in fraudulent tax deductions that resulted in $129 million in lost tax revenue.
Dairy Policy: FMMO Petitions on Make Allowances Clarified
On […]
Agricultural Law Weekly Review—January 16, 2023
Organic Agriculture: DOJ Indicts Multiple Companies and Individuals for Organic Fraud 🌾
On January 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of two Dubai-based agricultural companies and three Turkish residents for conspiring to export non-organic grain labeled as “organic” into the United States. The defendants are charged with conspiracy, smuggling, and wire fraud. According to the announcement, in 2016, the defendants “shipped 16,250 [metric tons] of non-organic soybeans falsely labeled as ‘organic’ from Turkey to the United States where they were sold for over $10 million.” The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the […]
Agricultural Law Weekly Review—January 9, 2023
Water Quality: D.C. Circuit Court Vacates and Remands Conowingo Dam License 🌾
On December 20, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an opinion vacating and remanding the license for Constellation Energy Generation, LLC’s Conowingo Dam. Waterkeepers Chesapeake v. FERC, No. 21-1139. The court concluded that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) exceeded its statutory authority under section 401(a)(1) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. § 1341(a)(1)) by granting the March 2021 license under a circumstance not enumerated in the CWA. The court stated the CWA only allows FERC […]
Agricultural Law Weekly Review—Week Ending September 2, 2022
Agricultural Data: USDA Announces 2022 Census of Agriculture Details 🌾
On August 29, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced that the agency will soon be mailing and accepting questionnaires for the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The Census of Agriculture includes all sizes of urban and rural farm operations that produced and sold at least $1,000 worth of agricultural products. The census will survey producers on multiple issues, including land use and ownership, producer characteristics, farming practices, and income and expenses. The 2022 survey contains new questions on hemp production, hair sheep, […]
