SARL Members and Alumni News

Nebraska's Livestock Friendly designation working

To achieve the livestock-friendly designation, counties voluntarily apply to the NDA, which evaluates applications to determine if the county is taking measures to support livestock development, such as through its zoning regulations pertaining to livestock. The first counties applied to enter the program in 2005, and currently 37 of Nebraska’s 93 counties have achieved the designation. With the program in place for more than a decade, a group of researchers from the University of Nebraska and Oklahoma State University conducted a study to evaluate how the growth or decline of livestock operations in those counties compares with other Nebraska counties not participating in the program. Their report, titled “An economic analysis of the Nebraska Livestock Friendly County Program ” is published in the in Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy.

The researchers studied 21 counties that achieved the LFCP designation between 2002 and 2012, using data from the 2002, 2007 and 2012 censuses to track trends in farm numbers. According to the report, the number of cattle operations in counties with the livestock friendly designation grew by 12 percent between 2007 and 2012, compared to an 8 percent increase in counties without the designation. Of the 21 counties studied, 16 saw a net increase in cattle-farm numbers during that period.  As for hog farms, the number declined across Nebraska during the study period, but the decline was less severe in LFCP counties. According to the report, from 2007 to 2012, there was a 15.6 percent decline in the number of hog farms in LFCP-participating counties. In contrast, non-participating counties saw a decline of 62 percent.

Rep Lauwers and Roberts attend signing of Farmland Preservation upgrade

Designed to help ensure timelier processing of Michigan farmers' applications and tax credit payments through the Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program (PA-116), the legislation saw overwhelming support earlier this year in both the state House of Representatives (109-0) and Senate (36-1).  Sponsored by Dist. 81 Rep. Dan Lauwers and Dist. 65 Rep. Brett Roberts, House Bills 5189, 5190, 5191 enhance government accountability and reduce the time it takes to complete PA-116 contract changes.  "These bills were crafted as a result of many farmers not receiving their 2014 tax credit payments from the Department of Treasury," said MFB Legislative Counsel Rebecca Park. "Combined with program staff cuts at the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, this was becoming a problem for farmers with land enrolled in PA-116.  "The problem was significant enough that we feared it could have deterred potential enrollees from preserving their land through the program."  Specific provisions include:  Hold Treasury accountable for timely payments by requiring them to apply interest on late refunds if certain provisions are met.  Ensure the appropriate funds are allocated to MDARD for program administration, equal to the recapture tax revenue collected by Treasury.  Allow e-filing regardless of the number of land agreements.

Right to Farm stays on November ballot, state high court rules

A state question seeking to enshrine the rights of farmers and ranchers in the state constitution will stay on the ballot, according to an opinion released Monday by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.  Lawmakers put State Question 777 — dubbed “Right to Farm” by supporters and “Right to Harm” by critics — on the Nov. 8 ballot.SQ 777 would add a section to the Oklahoma Constitution that would create a constitutional right to engage in farming and ranching. It would protect the use of agricultural technology, livestock procedures and ranching practices. If approved by voters, it would make it more difficult to pass laws regulating the agriculture industry.

Federal judge dismisses challenge to Wyoming trespassing law

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from groups that challenged Wyoming laws prohibiting trespassing on private lands to collect data.  Groups including the Western Watersheds Project, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Press Photographers Association sued Wyoming last year. The groups claimed state laws prohibiting trespassing to collect data were unconstitutional. The groups said the laws, which allowed both civil penalties and criminal prosecution, would block people from informing government regulators about such things as violations of water quality rules and illegal treatment of animals.U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl of Casper dismissed the groups' lawsuit Wednesday, ruling there's no constitutional right to trespass on private lands.

"The ends, no matter how critical or important to a public concern, do not justify the means, violating private property rights," Skavdahl wrote.Skavdahl last winter expressed concerns about earlier versions of the laws, which the Wyoming Legislature had passed early last year. The earlier versions sought to prohibit collection of data on "open lands," a term Skavdahl said could be stretched to cover more than just private property.In response to Skavdahl's criticism, the Wyoming Legislature earlier this year revised the laws to specify they only applied to trespassing to collect data on private lands.Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead on Thursday said he was pleased with Skavdahl's dismissal of the groups' lawsuit."There has been a lot of misinformation about the intent of this law," Mead said. "The judge's ruling affirms that the issue at the heart of the matter is preserving private property rights — a fundamental right in our country."