Collected Publications for A. Bryan Endres • farmdoc daily

The Federal Food Safety Agency: A Proposal to Move FDA Food Safety Responsibilities to the USDA

July 5, 2018
A. Bryan Endres

In March of 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13781, entitled “Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch.” The EO required each federal agency to submit to the Office of…

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What’s in a Name? FDA Working to Define “Natural” and Redefine “Healthy”

October 14, 2016
Lisa R. Schlessinger and A. Bryan Endres

2016 has been an active year for food regulations. From the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act to the revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels, the FDA…

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Vigorous Weeds and Lethargic Regulations: A Wicked Problem for Farmers

June 24, 2016
Lisa R. Schlessinger and A. Bryan Endres

There is a troubling discrepancy between the large number of harmful invasive plant species and the number of invasive plant species that are actually regulated. At the federal level, the…

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FDA’s New Rule for Preventive Controls for Human Foods

October 30, 2015
Lisa R. Schlessinger and A. Bryan Endres

2011's Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is the most extensive overhaul of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act since it was introduced in 1938. The purpose of FSMA is…

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FDA Revises Definition of “Farm”

October 7, 2015
A. Bryan Endres & Lisa Schlessinger

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law in January 2011, is perhaps the most far reaching reform of the food safety system since the enactment of the…

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In re Syngenta AG MIR 162 Corn Litigation: Resolving Questions of Duty

September 25, 2015
A. Bryan Endres and Lisa Schlessinger

In a February 25, 2015 update, we discussed the class action lawsuit surrounding Sygenta's genetically modified (GM) corn Agrisure Viptera® and Agrisure DuradadeTM (collectively, "Agrisure") that contains the MIR 162…

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New Approaches to Weed Management: Public-Private Partnerships

April 22, 2015
Lisa Schlessinger, Natalie West, and A. Bryan Endres

Large scale management of weed populations is vital to decreasing propagule pressure and reducing weed seedbanks, two of the principle process targets in integrated weed management strategies. Unfortunately, demands for…

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The Missing Link: Farmers’ Class Action Against Syngenta May Answer Legal Questions Left After the StarLink and LibertyLink Litigation

February 25, 2015
Lisa Schlessinger and A. Bryan Endres

Although the increasingly vocal debate over the labeling of food containing genetically modified (GM) organisms has captured most of the public and agricultural community's recent attention, two other controversies working…

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Turning Weeds Into Ethanol – Why Not?

December 11, 2013
Lauren D. Quinn, Elise C. Scott, A. Bryan Endres, Tom Voigt and Jody M. Endres

Media coverage of the controversy surrounding the use of certain non-native feedstocks for bioenergy is as pervasive as invasiveness itself. Plants such as giant reed and elephant grass are known…

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The Bioenergy Farm Lease, Part 4: Incorporation of Evolving Standards

November 22, 2013
Elise C. Scott, Lauren D. Quinn, and A. Bryan Endres

As the bioenergy industry in the United States expands to meet increased demands for transportation fuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard and electrical power under state Renewable Portfolio Standards, farmers…

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The Renewable Fuel Standard and Invasive Species: EPA’s Initial Approach

July 18, 2013
A. Bryan Endres and James McCubbins

In a previous article, we outlined the feedstock pathway approval process under the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) and the associated Renewable Fuel Standard. In short, under the RFS…

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The Bioenergy Farm Lease Part 3: Rhizome Reclamation

July 11, 2013
Elise C. Scott and A. Bryan Endres

As the bioenergy industry in the United States expands to meet increased demands for transportation fuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard and electrical power under state Renewable Portfolio Standards, farmers…

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The Bioenergy Farm Lease Part 2: Invasion Concerns

June 28, 2013
Elise C. Scott and A. Bryan Endres

As the bioenergy industry in the United States expands to meet increased demands for transportation fuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard and electrical power under state Renewable Portfolio Standards, farmers…

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The Bioenergy Farm Lease Part 1: Long-Term Leasing Provisions

June 21, 2013
Elise C. Scott and A. Bryan Endres

As the bioenergy industry in the United States expands to meet increased demands for transportation fuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard and electrical power under state Renewable Portfolio Standards, farmers…

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EPA Biofuel Pathways and Petitions: Failure to Launch?

May 24, 2013
James S.N. McCubbins and A. Bryan Endres

In 2007, the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) revised the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS2), by expanding, among other requirements, the mandate for next-generation ethanol. The Environmental Protection Agency…

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USDA Opts for Environmental Impact Statements on Two New Soybean Gene Technologies

May 15, 2013
Bryan Endres

The United States Department of Agriculture has opted to conduct a full Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), as opposed to an abbreviated Environmental Assessment on two new soybean gene technologies designed…

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Supreme Court Decision in Monsanto Case

May 14, 2013
A. Bryan Endres

Earlier this year the Supreme Court heard arguments in a patent law case pertaining to Monsanto's Round Up Ready technology. The unanimous decision delivered Monday May 13, 2013 upheld a…

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Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument in Ag Biotech Patent Case

February 22, 2013
A. Bryan Endres

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in what could be a landmark intellectual property law case involving patented seeds--Bowman v. Monsanto. A prior farmdoc daily posting provided…

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Successful Legal Challenge to Renewable Fuel Standard Likely to Have Minimal Long-Term Impact on Biofuels

January 30, 2013
Jody M. Endres and A. Bryan Endres

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, commonly referred to as EISA, amended the Federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by mandating specific quantities and types of renewable transportation fuels…

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A Move Towards a More Fair Division: Envisioning a New Illinois Fence Act

December 13, 2012
Bryan Endres and Lisa Schlessinger

Largely unchanged since its initial passage in 1819, the Illinois Fence Act provides that adjoining landowners ". . . shall make and maintain a just proportion of the division fence…

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Supreme Court Reviewing Important Ag Biotech Patent Case

November 30, 2012
A. Bryan Endres

The US Supreme Court receives approximately 10,000 petitions per year asking it to review a particular dispute--called a petition for a writ of certiorari or petition for "cert." As the…

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Registered Farm Apprenticeships are in Demand, but Difficult to Implement

August 31, 2012
A. Bryan Endres and Rachel Armstrong

The age of the average American farmer has risen to 57 years old. Moreover, the percentage of farmers over 75 increased by 30%, while the percentage of farmers under 25…

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Definitional Debates and Uncertainty for Would-be Biofuel Producers

May 2, 2012
A. Bryan Endres, James McCubbins and Lauren D. Quinn

Words have power, and when the semantic conveyance of those words is ambiguous, inconsistency, instability and risk ensue. For over 100 years, ecologists have debated the definitions of "native" and…

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Federal Preemption and Animal Regulation

February 1, 2012
Bryan Endres and Megan R. Galey

On January 23rd, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned California's rule that prohibited the slaughtering or selling of non-ambulatory ("downer") animals for human consumption, holding that the Federal Meat Inspection Act…

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Proposal to Revise Child Labor Rules for Agriculture

January 11, 2012
Carly E. Giffin and A. Bryan Endres

This fall, the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division proposed new regulations for children working agricultural jobs. The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) worked with the National Institute…

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