Insights

The United States Supreme Court Addresses Laws Impacting Farmers
The United States Supreme Court is generally asked to hear approximately 7,000 to 8,000 cases each year but only grants review and hears approximately 80 of these cases. And many of the cases the Court reviews involve appeals in criminal cases and other high ...Read More

Redtape Meets Wetlands: The Confounding Maze of Wetland Regulation
Many landowners might have read the headlines about the Supreme Court’s wetland decision this year – Sackett v Environmental Protection Agency – and breathed a sigh of relief: “Finally, we can fill a little puddle on our own property without the government intruding on ...Read More

Expansion of the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit: What is the BFTC Program and How Can It Benefit You?
It is no secret that the average age of the Minnesota farmer has steadily increased in recent years. With that in mind, the question of how to incentivize younger generations to start farming has become increasingly prevalent. With high start-up costs and fluctuating markets, ...Read More
A Fairly New Wrinkle in Minnesota Farm Divorces
One of the newest growing trends in Minnesota farm divorces involves both divorcing parties seeking to acquire the farm operation’s productive assets (land, machinery, equipment, etc.). In the past, it was typically presumed that the “farming spouse” will end up with the productive farm ...Read More
Update from Ag Lending Conference regarding CFPB 1071
During the Ag Lending Conference on September 7th, I reported that an injunction had been entered in Texas preventing the CFPB from enforcing Rule 1071 against the parties to that case. I also mentioned a pending Kentucky case motion requesting the same relief from ...Read More
Oberg Revisited: Proceedings to Determine the Property Status of Grain Bins
Previous readers of Gislason & Hunter’s Financial Newsletter may recall discussion of a recent case decided by the Minnesota Court of Appeals regarding considerations to make in determining whether a grain bin is a fixture (and thus part of the real estate that can ...Read More

Negotiating Wind and Solar Agreements
The drum beat toward renewable energy continues. Recently, Minnesota enacted new legislation requiring that 100% of the State’s energy be produced from carbon-free sources by 2040. This is not a distant, far-off goal. Though some new technologies might fill the gap, the obvious sources ...Read More

Federal Regulatory Update
During the first two years of the Biden administration, when Democrats held majorities in both houses of Congresses, much of the activity in Washington focused on traditional lawmaking. But with the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives in January 2023, a flurry ...Read More

Proposed Federal Trade Commission Rule Could Broadly Ban Non-Compete Agreements
Attraction and retention of a talented workforce is a common priority and, oftentimes, a challenge in today’s employment environment. Similarly, employers may look for ways to help ensure that when they devote time and resources to training employees, those employees do not subsequently begin ...Read More