By Sarah Fielder
Tax Considerations with an LLC It is tax season, and Farm Journal’s Top Producer magazine recently ran a story highlighting some of the tax advantages that utilizing an LLC can have. LLC’s can work well to limit liability and provide producers with a vehicle to pass the operation on to the next generation. To see some of the tax advantages that an LLC present to an operator, see Paul Neiffer’s column here http://bit.ly/2nDgmSi.
Environmental Enforcement Under President Trump In the past few months, President Trump has announced plans to change numerous existing environmental standards. Many of these may be easy to change but many might require agencies to develop new rules. Dairy Herd Management has an article online featuring a few environmental attorneys who work with agricultural operators giving advice on how to be prepared for possible citizen lawsuits under federal environmental laws during the Trump administration. To get the thoughts of these attorneys, click here http://bit.ly/2nDjzBn.
Federal Judge Approves Settlement in EPA CAFO Data Release This week a federal judge approved a settlement between the EPA, American Farm Bureau, and the National Pork Producer’s Council. The settlement as a result of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling certain CAFO data released by EPA earlier contained personal data and was exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. To read more about the settlement, click here http://bit.ly/2oCkekg.
EPA Rejects Petition to Ban Chlorpyrifos The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday declined to ban chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate insecticide (tradename: Lorsban) used to control a variety of crop pests, including corn rootworm and soybean aphid. The Obama administration had sought to outlaw the pesticide based on concerns about its risks to human health. Groups in favor of banning chloropyrifos cited studies indicating neonatal exposure to the chemical may cause nervous system damage, behavioral problems and lower IQ and that farm workers exposed to the chemical may experience negative health impacts. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt cited “serious scientific concerns and substantive process gaps” in the scientific studied cited in the proposed ban as the reason for rejecting the petition http://bit.ly/2oCaLtb.