Midwest Agricultural Law
Iowa Supreme Court Values Closely Held Farm Corps
A recent case issued by the Iowa Supreme Court addressed the “fair value” of stock in a closely held farm corporation buyout. In Guge v. Kassel Enterprises, No. 19-2151 (Iowa Sup. Ct June 18, 2021), the Court provided clarity for determining what factors Iowa courts consider in calculating the “fair [...]
Murphy’s Law: 5 Reasons to Insist on Written Custom Farming Contract
VS. Custom farming agreements seem pretty straightforward and simple. Landowner asks Custom Operator to till the field, apply the inputs, plant and harvest the crop or cut and bale the hay. Custom Operator sets a price. Landowner and Custom Operator shake hands. Deal is done, right? Yes, [...]
Vacating Crop Insurance Arbitration Ruling: Is it 3 Months or 1 Year?
Which is it? Admittedly I keep going back to the well. Maybe it is because the rules and procedure for arbitrating a crop insurance claim are too complicated. Or maybe it is a dead horse and I need to get past feeling the Nebraska Supreme Court improperly ruled [...]
Modern Day Cattle Rustling: A New Remedy Under the P&S Act
It's tough to reclaim cattle once they get to the feedlot While we are no longer living in the days of the Wild West, livestock dealers continue to face theft—particularly, in sales transactions gone wrong. Unfortunately, common remedies generally are inadequate to recover the full amount lost. In [...]
Time to Collect: Missouri River Landowners Get Win Against Corps of Engineers
In a multi-phase litigation, the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. recently entered its trial order against the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The December 14, 2020 order found the plaintiff landowners were collectively entitled to damages for certain losses. Back in 2018, the Court [...]
Nebraska “Farm Products” Definition: Now Includes Hemp and Goats
Wait. Did you say Hemp? Nebraska has amended the definition of “farm products” for statutes that govern security interests on farm products. For the first time, the list of farm products now includes goats and hemp. Really, goats are just now being added? The Secretary of State has [...]
About the Blog
The best way to gain insight into a person is to walk in their shoes. Having grown up on a farm in Iowa, attorney Sean Minahan has walked in the shoes of those in the farming industry, which is why he feels at home in the field—of agricultural law. His blog, the Midwest Agricultural Law Guide, was created to offer legal discussion and encourage the use of social media in the agricultural industry.
Sean A. Minahan
Editor and Author