The Arizona Cattlemen's Association Litigation - PAC
The Arizona Cattlemens' Association, through the ACFA and ACGA, is committed to protecting the rights of Arizona's cattlemen, the cattle industry, and our way of life in the Copper State. Here is where you'll find news and information relevent to pending litigation and Political Action Committees (PACs).

Litigation update

Take a deep breath and relax, for right now. The only threatening litigation we are currently involved in is a suit between a farmer and the State Land Department (SLD). The disagreement started because Pinal County wanted to connect one road to another, and the way that was done was to cut across the corner of a farm. The problem was the water for the farm was on one side and the majority of the farm was on the other side of the road, and the fields in the farm were sloped the wrong way with the new road.

OK, that's easily fixed, the SLD makes the new "commercial owner or lessee" pay to make him whole, Right? Wrong.

This suit is caused because the SLD decided instead to cancel his "Agriculture Lease" and reclassify his farm as a commercial lease, without having a commercial lessee who would pay for his improvements. This means he would have to wait until the commercial lease is either leased or sold which may be 10 years from now, and his improvements would be deteriorated to the point where they would have little or no value.

He could also have taken the commercial lease and continue to farm it, BUT then he would 1) Never be compensated for the improvements, because, unlike grazing and ag leases, commercial lessees don't get compensated for their lease improvements; and 2) He would have to change the slope and borders on the fields. He would have actually had to compensate himself.

ACGA, the Cotton Growers Association, the Farm Bureau, and the Farm Credit Southwest filed two amicus curie briefs in support of him, because we feel this will make every state lessee less willing to improve the State Trust lease they have, for fear of the same result. That in turn makes the trust land less desirable to lease, and therefore harms the trust. The SLD takes the position that it only harms this one farmer so no big deal. Well to this human the harm is $700,000+ and, to him, that is a big deal.

Fortunately, the SLD and the farmer are trying to come to an agreement and it seems to be coming closer to a settlement.

On a lighter note, Bob Hudson of the Vaca Ranch was the big winner of the Farm Credit Southwest trailer.

Second Prize, two heifers donated by the Bar T Bar Ranch, went to the Navajo County Cattlemen's Association. They sold the heifers and donated the proceeds to the ACGA for the Communications plan. (OK! THE REST OF YOU COUNTIES: NAVAJO COUNTY HAS DONE THEIR PART--NOW YOU DO YOURS).

Third Prize, 10 tons of hay donated by Dobson Farms, went to John and Peggy Rowley
1401 N 24th St Ste 4 - Phoenix AZ 85008 - (602) 267-1129
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