Author Archives: Gary Baise

About Gary Baise

Gary Baise is a Virginia resident and an Illinois farmer. Specializing in agricultural and environmental issues, he also serves as Outside General Counsel for Agricultural Retailers Association.

Feds’ Jargon-filled Memo Won’t Help Farmers Manage Wetlands

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Gary Baise

Back in July USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey, Assistant Secretary of the Army R. D. James, and EPA Assistant Administrator for water David Ross signed an essentially meaningless memorandum on how to determine issues related to the implementation of Section … Continue reading →

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Little for Farmers in Dem Party Platform

Posted on August 19, 2020 by Gary Baise

The Democratic party released its draft platform for 2020 this month with 10 sections, and not one is on agriculture! The platform has sections on “Building a Stronger, Fairer Economy”; “Achieving Universal Affordable Quality Healthcare”; “Combatting the Climate Crisis and … Continue reading →

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What are perennial, intermittent and ephemeral streams?

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Gary Baise

In an earlier blog, I discussed what is “not” a water of the United States. The issue is trickier when a new definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) is examined for perennial, intermittent, or ephemeral streams. A perennial stream … Continue reading →

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Feds Define What is NOT a “Waters of the United States”

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Gary Baise

In my many efforts to unravel and explain the federal government’s sometimes baffling efforts to legally define the things that matter most to property owners, I have started by describing the government’s interpretation of a “ditch” (see here). Now the U.S. … Continue reading →

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California Wins Again

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Gary Baise

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) were defeated again, as was all of American agriculture, by the state of California defending its Proposition 12 laws on animal housing. NPPC and AFBF filed an … Continue reading →

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