Case Law Index Animal Feeding Operations
January 1, 2002 – March 1, 2011
This index provides a comprehensive though not necessarily exhaustive compilation of reported and unreported federal and state court decisions involving Animal Feeding Operations that were decided between the dates listed above. The cases are listed in reverse chronological order. The “Text” link goes to the freely available Google Scholar text of the opinion. These listings are for educational purposes only, and are not a substitute for legal counsel.
FIRST CIRCUIT
U.S. Public Interest Research Group v. Atlantic Salmon of Maine, 215 F.Supp.2d 239 (D.Me. 2002) (CWA citizen suit against salmon farm) Text
U.S. Public Interest Research Group c. Stolt Sea Farm, Inc., 2002 WL 240386 (D.Me. 2002) (CWA citizen suit against salmon farm)
U.S. Public Interest Research Group v. Heritage Salmon, Inc., 2002 WL 240440 (D.Me. 2002) (CWA citizen suit against salmon farm)
SECOND CIRCUIT
Humane Soc’y of United States v. HVFG, LLC, No. 06 CV 6829(HB), 2010 WL 1837785 (S.D.N.Y. May 06, 2010) (private party action for a violation of the Clean Water Act)
Coon ex rel. Coon v. Willet Dairy, Ltd. P’ship, 536 F.3d 171 (2d Cir. 2008) (discharges by a dairy) Text
Coon v. Willet Dairy, LP, 2007 WL 2071746 (N.D.N.Y. 2007) (CWA and RCRA claims) Text
Waterkeeper Alliance, Inc. v. U.S. E.P.A., 399 F.3d 486 (2d Cir. 2005) (challenge to CAFO Act) Text
THIRD CIRCUIT
Reynolds v. Rick’s Mushroom Service, Inc., 246 F.Supp.2d 449 (E.D. Pa. 2003) (waste from mushroom processor) Text
FIFTH CIRCUIT
Nat’l Pork Producers Council v. EPA, No. 08-61093, 2011 WL 871736 (5th Cir. March 15, 2011) (challenge to EPA regulation of emission of water pollutants by feeding operations)
SIXTH CIRCUIT
Kentucky Waterways Alliance v. Johnson, 426 F.Supp.2d 612 (W.D.Ky. 2006) (EPA sued for approval of state’s water quality antidegradation rules) Text
Johnson County Citizen Comm. for Clean Air & Water v. U.S. E.P.A., 2005 WL 2204953 (M.D.Tenn. 2005) (EPA NPDES discretion)
Sierra Club, Inc. v. Tyson Foods, Inc., 299 F.Supp.2d 693 (W.D. Ky. 2003) (definition of “facility” under CERCLA) Text
SEVENTH CIRCUIT
Test Drilling Serv. Co. v. Hanor Co., 322 F.Supp.2d 965 (C.D. Ill. 2004) (property damage) Text
Save The Valley, Inc. v. U.S. E.P.A., 223 F.Supp.2d 997 (S.D. Ind. 2002) (implementation of CWA) Text
EIGHTH CIRCUIT
Elliott v. Lake County, No. CIV 10-04001-RAL, 2010 WL 4553548 (D. S.D. Nov. 3, 2010) (zoning restrictions on feeding operations) Text
Yankton Sioux Tribe Head Start Concerned Parents v. Longview Farms, LLP, No. CIV. 08-4058, 2009 WL 891866 (D. S.D. Mar. 31, 2009) (tribe had no authority to regulate non-Indian farrowing operation) Text
Minnesota Ctr. for Envtl. Advocacy v. U.S. E.P.A, 2005 WL 1490331 (D. Minn. 2005) (challenge to EPA’s approval of TMDL levels)
Daniels v. Iowa, 2005 WL 1398498 (S.D. Iowa 2005) (constitutional challenge of DNR regulation)
Furnas County Farms v. Hayes County, 2002 WL 1796511 (D. Neb. 2002) (zoning)
Forrest v. Northland Cas. Co., 213 F.Supp.2d 1023, 1023-24 (W.D. Ark. 2002) (insurance policy dispute) Text
NINTH CIRCUIT
Holdner v. Or. Dep’t of Agric., 676 F.Supp.2d 1141, 2009 WL 5149264 (D. Or. 2009) (discharges of pollutants by a CAFO) Text
Ass’n of Irritated Residents v. Fred Schakel Dairy, No. 1:05-CV-00707, 2008 WL 850136 (E.D. Cal. Mar. 28, 2008) (motion to dismiss CAA challenge to dairy) Text
Or. Natural Desert Ass’n v. U.S. Forest Serv., No. 07-634-AS, 2008 WL 140657 (D. Or. Jan. 10, 2008) (issue and claim preclusion)
Ass’n of Irritated Residents v. C & R Vanderham Dairy, No. 1:05-CV-01593, 2007 WL 2815038 (E.D. Cal. Sept. 25, 2007) (CAA challenge against a dairy)
Coldani v. Hamm, No. Civ S-07-660, 2007 WL 2345016 (E.D. Cal. Aug. 16, 2007) (CWA challenge against a dairy)
Association of Irritated Residents v. Fred Schakel Dairy, 2005 WL 3299508 (E.D. Cal. 2005) (administrative procedures)
Community Ass’n for Restoration of the Environment v. Henry Bosma Dairy, 305 F.3d 943 (9th Cir. 2002) (CWA challenge against dairy farm) Text
Association to Protect Hammersley, Eld, and Totten Inlets v. Taylor Resources, Inc., 299 F.3d 1007 (9th Cir. 2002) (CWA challenge against shellfish producer) Text
U.S. v. New Portland Meadows, Inc., 2002 WL 31180956 (D. Or. 2002) (discharge of pollutants from horse racetrack facility)
TENTH CIRCUIT
Kersenbrock v. Stoneman Cattle Co., LLC, 2007 WL 2219288 (D. Kan. 2007) (citizen suit under the CWA)
Oklahoma ex rel Edmondson v. Tyson Foods, Inc. 2007 WL 649332 (N.D. Okla. 2007) (interrogatories, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure)
Sierra Club v. Seaboard Farms Inc., 387 F.3d 1167 (10th Cir. 2004) (definition of “facility” under CERCLA) Text
Sierra Club v. Seaboard Farms, Inc., 2002 WL 32443305 (W.D. Okla. 2002) (CERCLA)
D.C. CIRCUIT
Association of Irritated Residents v. E.P.A., 494 F.3d 1027 (D.C. Cir. 2007) (review of EPA enforcement action) Text
CALIFORNIA
Association of Irritated Residents v. San Joaquin Unified Air Pollution Control Dist., 85 Cal. Rptr. 3d 590 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008) (adopting CAA standards for non-attainment areas)
GEORGIA
Terrell v. Payne, 622 S.E.2d 330 (Ga. 2005) (nuisance) Text
Payne v. Terrell, 604 S.E.2d 551 (Ga. Ct. App. 2004) (nuisance) Text
IDAHO
Idaho Dairymen’s Ass’n v. Gooding County, 227 P.3d 907 (Idaho 2010) (challenging county CAFO ordinance) Text
Idaho Conservation League, Inc. v. Idaho State Dept. of Agriculture, 146 P.3d 632 (Idaho 2006) (disclosure of Nutrient Management Plans) Text
Chisholm v. Twin Falls County, 75 P.3d 185 (Idaho 2003) (zoning) Text
Scott v. Gooding County, 46 P.3d 23 (Idaho 2002) (zoning) Text
Gooding County v. Wybenga, 46 P.3d 18 (Idaho 2002) (CAFO ordinance) Text
ILLINOIS
Rochester Buckhart Action Group v. Young, 887 N.E.2d 49 (Ill. App. Ct. 2008) (definition of “new facility” under state law) Text
INDIANA
Pardue v. Perdue Farms Inc., 925 N.E.2d 482 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010) (nuisance action against turkey growers over contaminated groundwater) Text
Jennings Water, Inc. v. Office of Envtl. Adjudication, -909 N.E.2d 1020 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009) (denying petition review permit for construction of CFO) Text
Thomas v. Blackford County Area Bd. of Zoning Appeals, 907 N.E.2d 988 (Ind. 2009) (no standing to challenge special exception to zoning law received by dairy) Text
Benton County Remonstrators v. Bd. of Zoning Appeals of Benton County, 905 N.E.2d 1090 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009) (two special applications granted for CAFO construction; proper notice given to landowners) Text
Lindsey v. DeGroot, 898 N.E.2d 1251 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009) (nuisances claims against a dairy) Text
Save The Valley, Inc. v. Fergus, 896 N.E.2d 1205 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008) (injunction to prevent AFO being built) Text
Thomas v. Blackford County Area Bd. of Zoning Appeals, No. 05A04-0711-CV-731, 2008 WL 2854526 (Ind. Ct. App. July 25, 2008) (standing to challenge grant of CAFO special zoning exemption) Text
Terra Nova Dairy, LLC v. Wabash County Bd. of Zoning Appeals, 890 N.E.2d 98 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008) (denial of improvement location permit for new dairy) Text
Thomas v. Oolman Dairy, LLC, 858 N.E.2d 256 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006) (zoning) Text
Breitweiser v. Indiana Office of Environmental Adjudication, 810 N.E.2d 699 (Ind. 2004) (administrative procedures) Text
Breitweiser v. Indiana Office of Environmental Adjudication, 775 N.E.2d 1175 (Ind. Ct. App. 2002) (judicial review) Text
IOWA
Kramer v. Board of Adjustment for Sioux County, 791 N.W.2d 711 (Iowa Ct. App. 2010) (permit for wastewater storage lagoon)
Jongma v. Grand Pork, Inc., No. 08-1640, 2009 WL 3381518 (Iowa Ct. App. Oct. 21, 2009) (interpretation of manure easement) Text
Daniels v. Iowa, No. 07-1275, 2008 WL 4569870 (Iowa Ct. App. Oct. 15, 2008) (redress of civil penalties for violations of AFO waste handling requirements) Text
Simpson v. Kollasch, 749 N.W.2d 671 (Iowa 2008) (failure to prove anticipatory negligence by neighbors of a hog farm) Text
Worth County Friends of Agriculture v. Worth County, 688 N.W.2d 257 (Iowa, 2004) (home rule authority) Text
Gacke v. Pork Xtra, L.L.C., 684 N.W.2d 168 (Iowa 2004) (validity of right to farm law) Text
Sierra Club v. Wayne Weber, L.L.C., 689 N.W.2d 696 (Iowa 2004) (nuisance action) Text
KANSAS
David v. Board of Com’rs of Norton County, 89 P.3d 893 (Kan. 2004) (county CAFO law challenged) Text
MICHIGAN
Sierra Club Mackinac County v. Dep’t of Envtl. Quality, 766 N.W.2d 857 (Mich. 2009) (upholding reversal of declaratory judgment for state CAFO program) Text
Sierra Club Mackinac Chapter v. Dept. of Envtl. Quality, 747 N.W.2d 321 (Mich. Ct. App. 2008) (review of state general CAFO permit) Text
MINNESOTA
In re Dairy Dozen-Thief River Falls, LLP, Nos. A09-936, A09-1406, 2010 WL 2161781 (Minn. Ct. App. June 01, 2010) (timeliness of appeal for feedlot permit)
Daniels v. Iowa, , No. A07-1050, 2008 WL 2105980 (Minn. Ct. App. May 20, 2008) (discovery of defective dairy manure lagoons)
Wakefield Pork, Inc. v. Ram Mut. Ins. Co., 731 N.W.2d 154 (Minn. Ct. App. 2007) (odor within pollution exclusion) Text
Berne Area Alliance for Quality Living v. Dodge County Bd. of Com’rs, 694 N.W.2d 577 (Minn. Ct. App. 2005) (Environmental Impact Statement) Text
Vasgaard v. Murray County Bd. of Com’rs, 2003 WL 21962493 (Minn. Ct. App. 2003) (challenge to denial of petition for Environmental Assessment Worksheet)
Wendinger v. Forst Farms, Inc., 662 N.W.2d 546 (Minn. Ct. App. 2003) (farming operation challenged) Text
Schwardt v. County of Watonwan, 656 N.W.2d 383 (Minn. 2003) (farming permit granted) Text
MISSISSIPPI
Sierra Club v. Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Bd., 943 So.2d 673 (Miss. 2006) (challenge to issuance of air pollution control permit) Text
MISSOURI
State ex rel. Missouri Parks Ass’n v. Missouri Dep’t of Natural Res., 316 S.W.3d 375, 2010 WL 1608839 (Mo. Ct. App. 2010) (challenge to CAFO construction permit) Text
Bd. of Dirs. of Richmond Twp. v. Kenoma, LLC, 284 S.W.3d 672 (Mo. Ct. App. 2009) (town lacked authority to regulate hog farm) Text
Shuler v. Premium Standard Farms, Inc., 148 S.W.3d 1 (Mo. Ct. App. 2004) (wrongful discharge) Text
NEBRASKA
Farmers Elevator, Inc. v. Harford Fire Ins. Co., No. A-09-005, 2009 WL 3654739 (Neb. Ct. App. Nov. 3, 2009) (confined hog deaths not covered by policy) Text
Sand Livestock Sys., Inc. v. Svoboda, 17 Neb. App. 28 (Neb. Ct. App. 2008) (slander suit by hog farm against environmental group) Text
Johnson v. Knox County P’ship, 728 N.W.2d 101 (Neb. 2007) (feedlot as a private nuisance) Text
D.B. Feedyards, Inc. v. Envtl. Sci., Inc., 745 N.W.2d 593 (Neb. Ct. App. 2008) (breach of environmental consulting service contract) Text
Hanchera v. Board of Adjustment, 694 N.W.2d 641 (Neb. 2005) (zoning) Text
Premium Farms v. County of Holt, 640 N.W.2d 633, (Neb. 2002) (county regulatory authority) Text
NORTH CAROLINA
Neuse River Found., Inc. v. Smithfield Foods, Inc., 574 S.E.2d 48 (N.C. Ct. App. 2002) (standing to challenge misuse of hog waste) Text
NORTH DAKOTA
Hagerott v. Morton County Bd. of Comm’rs, 778 N.W.2d 813 (N.D. 2010) (permit for feedlot) Text
OHIO
Meerland Dairy L.L.C. v. Ross Twp., — N.E.2d —, 2008 WL 1991886 (Ohio Ct. App. 2008) (city’s ability to control CAFOs) Text
OKLAHOMA
Hummer v. State ex re. Oklahoma Bd. of Agric., 245 P.3d 1244 (Ct. Civ. App. 2010) (affected landowner seeks to force review of approval for swine feeding operation)
Patzkowsky v. Oklahoma ex rel. Okla. Bd. of Agric., 217 P.3d 146 (Okla. Civ. App. 2008) (review of decision to grant CAFO permit) Text
SOUTH DAKOTA
Grant County Concerned Citizens v. Grant County Bd. of Com’rs, 794 N.W.2d 462 (S.D. 2011) (proposed increase of setbacks for CAFOs was not a legislative decision and not referable to a referendum vote)
Andersen v. Town of Badger, 769 N.W.2d 834 (S.D. 2009) (challenging city waiving required distance from town CAFO could be built) Text
Woodruff v. Bd. of Comm’rs for Hand County, 741 N.W.2d 746 (S.D. 2007) (challenge of AFO zoning ordinance) Text
Schafer v. Deuel County Bd. of Com’rs, 725 N.W.2d 241 (S.D. 2006) (zoning) Text
Jensen v. Lincoln County Bd. of Com’rs, 718 N.W.2d 606 (S.D. 2006) (preexisting use) Text
Bechen v. Moody County Bd. of Com’rs, 703 N.W.2d 662 (S.D. 2005) (zoning) Text
Elliott v. Board of County Com’rs of Lake County, 703 N.W.2d 361 (S.D. 2005) (zoning) Text
Hay v. Board of Com’rs for Grant County, 670 N.W.2d 376 (S.D. 2003) (zoning) Text
In re Yankton County Com’n, 670 N.W.2d 34 (S.D. 2003) (zoning) Text
Kirschenman v. Hutchinson County Bd. of Com’rs, 656 N.W.2d 330 (S.D. 2003) (zoning) Text
In re Conditional Use Permit Denied to Meier, 645 N.W.2d 579 (S.D. 2002) (denial of farming permit) Text
TEXAS
Barrera v. Hondo Creek Cattle Co., 132 S.W.3d 544 (Tex. App. 2004) (right to farm) Text
Collins v. Texas Natural Resource Conservation Com’n, 94 S.W.3d 876 (Tex. App. 2002) (permit to change waste management system challenged) Text
City of Waco v. Texas Natural Resource Conservation Com’n, 83 S.W.3d 169 (Tex. App. 2002) (regulation of CAFO permits) Text
WASHINGTON
Dep’t of Ecology v. Douma, 193 P.3d 1102, 2008 WL 4567130 (Wash. Ct. App. 2008) (dairy not a significant contributor to water pollution) Text
WISCONSIN
Adams v. Livestock Facilities Siting Review Bd., No. 2009AP608, 2010 WL 2519595 (Wis. Ct. App. June 24, 2010) (town’s additional zoning restrictions preempted)