Case Law Index
Conservation Programs

January 1, 2002 - July 1, 2008

This index provides a comprehensive though not necessarily exhaustive compilation of reported and unreported federal and state court decisions involving the conservation programs that were decided on or after January 1, 2002. For those cases that have been summarized by the National Agricultural Law Center, a link is provided to the summary. The index will be regularly updated to reflect new judicial developments. The cases are listed in reverse chronological order.



SUPREME COURT


Graham County Soil & Water Conservation Dist. v. United States ex rel. Wilson, 545 U.S. 409 (2005) (False Claims Act)



THIRD CIRCUIT


Marslette v. Glickman, No. Civ.A. 00-509-SLR, 2003 WL 21035015 (D. Del. April 28, 2003) (discrimination claim)

Marslette v. Glickman, No. Civ.A. 00-816-SLR, 2003 WL 1697535 (D. Del. March 26, 2003) (discrimination claim)



FOURTH CIRCUIT


U.S. ex rel. Wilson v. Graham County Soil & Water Conservation Dist., 528 F.3d 292 (4th Cir. 2008) (False Claim Act)

Holly Hill Farm Corp. v. United States, 447 F.3d 258 (4th Cir. 2006) (Swampbuster benefit eligibility)

United States ex rel. Wilson v. Graham County Soil & Water Conservation Dist., 224 F. Supp. 2d 1042 (W.D.N.C. 2002) (False Claims Act)

United States ex rel. Wilson v. Graham County Soil & Water Conservation Dist., No. Civ. 2:01CV19, 2002 WL 31455718 (W.D.N.C. May 30, 2002) (False Claims Act)

United States ex rel. Wilson v. Graham County Soil & Water Conservation Dist., No. 2:01CV19-T, 2002 WL 487162 (W.D.N.C. Mar. 25, 2002) (False Claims Act)



FIFTH CIRCUIT


Dawson Farms, LLC v. Farm Serv. Agency, 504 F.3d 592 (5th Cir. 2007) (failure to exhaust administrative remedies)

Barrientos v. United States, Civil Action No. L-05-163, 2006 WL 2414348 (S.D. Tex. Aug. 14, 2006) (breach of contract)

In re Baker, 307 B.R. 860 (Bankr. N.D. Tex. 2003) (homestead exemption)



SIXTH CIRCUIT


Durbin v. Farm Serv. Agency, No. C2:05-CV-566, 2007 WL 1114986 (S.D. Ohio April 13, 2007) (wetland determination)



SEVENTH CIRCUIT


Horn Farms, Inc. v. Johanns, 397 F.3d 472 (7th Cir. 2005) (wetland conversion)

Horn Farms, Inc. v. Veneman, 319 F. Supp. 2d 902 (N.D. Ind. 2004) (wetland conversion)



EIGHTH CIRCUIT


Wheeler v. USDA, No. Civ. 05-1052, 2008 WL 220614 (D. S.D. Jan. 24, 2008) (False claims)

In re Houston, 385 B.R. 268 (Bankr. N.D. Iowa 2008) (Fraudulent transfer of CRP payments)

Groenendyk v. Johanns, No.4:06-CV-00212 JAJ, 2008 WL 428157 (S.D. Iowa Feb. 12, 2008) (review of wetlands determination)

Wolfhole, Inc. v. USDA, No. 1:07CV73 CDP, 2008 WL 1805369 (E.D. Mo. April 17, 2008) (Conservation Security Program)

B & D Land & Livestock Co. v. Conner, No. C 07-3070-MWB, 2008 WL 191892 (N.D. Iowa Jan. 22, 2008) (wetland conversion)

Clark v. USDA, 492 F. Supp. 2d 1085 (S.D. Iowa 2007) (wetland determination)

Ballanger v. Johanns, 451 F. Supp. 2d 1061 (S.D. Iowa 2006) (Swampbuster benefit eligibility)

Siebrasse v. USDA, 418 F.3d 847 (8th Cir. 2005) (fraudulent transfer of land)

In re Schrandt, No. 04-04172, 2005 WL 1629798 (Bankr. N.D. Iowa July 11, 2005) (public assistance benefits exception)

B & D Land & Livestock Co. v. Veneman, 332 F. Supp. 2d 1200 (N.D. Iowa 2004) (wetland conversion)

B & D Land & Livestock Co. v. Veneman, 231 F. Supp. 2d 895 (N.D. Iowa 2002) (wetland conversion)

Branstad v. Veneman, 232 F. Supp. 2d 945 (N.D. Iowa 2002) (attorneys' fees)

Branstad v. Veneman, 212 F. Supp. 2d 976 (N.D. Iowa 2002) (administrative appeal)



NINTH CIRCUIT


O'Hagan v. Von Borstel, Adv. No. 03-3523, 2007 WL 3128360 (Bankr. D. Or. Oct. 24, 2007) (CRP contract as partnership asset)

O'Hagan v. Von Borstel, No. 03-3523, 2007 WL 1039202 (Bankr. D. Or. Mar. 29, 2007) (CRP contract as partnership asset)

Citizens for Honesty & Integrity in Reg'l Planning v. County of San Diego, 399 F.3d 1067 (9th Cir. 2005) (jurisdiction)

Nat'l Wildlife Fed'n v. Johanns, No. C04-2169Z, 2005 WL 1189583 (W.D. Wash. May 19, 2005) (haying and grazing complaint, standing)

Citizens for Honesty & Integrity in Reg'l Planning v. County of San Diego, 258 F. Supp. 2d 1132 (S.D. Cal. 2003) (preemption)

Big Meadows Grazing Ass'n v. United States, 344 F.3d 940 (9th Cir. 2003) (easement, landowner assent)



TENTH CIRCUIT


Biller v. Veneman, 150 Fed. App'x 834 (10th Cir. 2005) (failure to control noxious weeds)

Payton v. USDA, 337 F.3d 1163 (10th Cir. 2003) (jurisdiction)

In re Clark, 288 B.R. 237 (Bankr. D. Kan. 2003) (Chapter 12 eligibility)

Sanders Land & Cattle Co. v. Dep't of Agric., 49 Fed. App'x 211 (10th Cir. 2002) (failure to show ownership)



D.C. CIRCUIT


Multi AG Media LLC v. Dep't of Agric., Civil Action No. 05-01908 (HHK), 2006 WL 2320941 (D.D.C. Aug. 9, 2006) (FOIA disclosure)



FEDERAL CIRCUIT


Rick's Mushroom Serv., Inc. v. U.S., 521 F.3d 1338 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (dispute of cost-share agreement)



COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS


Esch v. United States, 77 Fed. Cl. 582 (Fed. Cl. 2007) (offset of loan debt)

Cottrell v. United States, 71 Fed. Cl. 559 (Fed. Cl. 2006) (statute of limitations; failure to exhaust remedies)



CALIFORNIA


County of Colusa v. Cal. Wildlife Conservation Bd., 52 Cal. Rptr. 3d 1 (Cal. Ct. App. 2006) (Williamson Act challenge)

Cal. Farm Bureau Fed'n v. Cal. Wildlife Conservation Bd., 49 Cal. Rptr. 3d 169 (Cal. Ct. App. 2006) (California Environmental Quality Act exemption)



COLORADO


Hepp v. Boulder County Assessor, 113 P.3d 1268 (Colo. Ct. App. 2005) (tax classification and valuation)



DELAWARE


O'Neill v. Town of Middletown, C.A. No. 2478-VCN, 2007 WL 1114019 (Del. Ch. Mar. 29, 2007) (zoning, Source Water Protection Program)



FLORIDA


Coulter v. St. John's Water Mgmt. Dist., 799 So. 2d 267 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2001) (sales transaction involving Wetlands Reserve Program)



INDIANA


Graham Creek Farms v. Ind. Dep't of State Revenue, 819 N.E.2d 151 (Ind. Tax Ct. 2004) (tax exemption)



KANSAS


Markel Properties, LLC v. Siebler, No. 94,314, 2006 WL 538554 (Kan. Ct. App. Mar. 3, 2006) (adverse possession)

In re Protest of Smith, 39 P.3d 66 (Kan. 2002) (tax classification)



MISSOURI


K & G Farms v. Monroe County Serv. Co., 134 S.W.3d 40 (Mo. Ct. App. 2003) (landlord's payment of expenses)



MONTANA


Hjartarson v. Hjartarson, 147 P.3d 164 (Mont. 2006) (designated operator change)

Weter v. Archambault, 61 P.3d 771 (Mont. 2002) (wrongful occupation)

Henderson v. Estate of Henderson, No. 00-489, 2002 WL 473539 (Mont. Mar. 28, 2002) (breach of contract)



NEW MEXICO


Jicarilla Apache Nation v. Rodarte. 103 P.3d 554 (N.M. 2004) (tax assessment)

Jicarilla Apache Nation v. Rodarte, 92 P.3d 642 (N.M. Ct. App. 2004) (tax assessment)

Jicarilla Apache Nation v. Rio Arriba County Assessor, 92 P.3d 642 (N.M. Ct. App. 2003) (tax assessment)



NORTH DAKOTA


Schmidt v. Wittinger, 687 N.W.2d 479 (N.D. 2004) (duty of joint tenants)



OHIO


Hardy v. Delaware County Bd. of Revision, 835 N.E.2d 348 (Ohio 2005) (property tax rate)

Wetland Resource Ctr., L.L.C. v. Marion County Auditor, 809 N.E.2d 1202 (Ohio Ct. App. 2004) (tax valuation)



OREGON


Bridgeview Vineyards, Inc. v. State Land Bd. of Or., 154 P.3d 734 (Or. Ct. App. 2007) (state fill and removal law)

Cox v. Klicker, 139 Wash. Ct. App. 1003 (Wash. Ct. App. 2007) (division of property)



WISCONSIN


Winter v. Wis. Dep't of Revenue, No. 2005AP2376, 2007 WL 59371 (Wis. Ct. App. Jan. 10, 2007) (assessment)

Fee v. Bd. of Review for Florence, 657 N.W.2d 112 (Wis. Ct. App. 2002) (taxation)







  

This material is based on work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Agreement No. 59-8201-9-115. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The National Agricultural Law Center is a federally funded research institution located at the University of Arkansas School of Law, Fayetteville.

Web site: www.NationalAgLawCenter.org | Phone: (479)575-7646 | Email: NatAgLaw@uark.edu