Ag-Visors

This last week a famous saying popped up again. Every time I hear this saying I either get mad or feel sorry for the animals involved. The saying is, “He’s had all his shots." Well my questions are:

In hobby loss audits, the IRS sometimes views various types of ranching activities as a means of generating tax losses, rather than a profit-oriented venture. Many cases that have ruled in favor of the taxpayer in livestock activities involve people who developed a superior line of animal. Taking a scientific approach to breeding is evidence showing a businesslike approach to the activity.

The whole of veterinary medicine is devoted to prevent animal suffering and disease. Over the years I have been in practice, I have noticed herds and the rate of infection in those herds. Mostly the infections I have seen with major outbreaks have been with scours and respiratory cases. Now, I will be the first to admit that there is nothing that is 100 percent to prevent these infections.  But, we can slow it down and minimize treatments and losses with prevention.

Nervous and aggressive cattle are a pain in the wallet.

The next damning facing animal agriculture is the bit about antibiotics used. It is said our use of antibiotics is creating the Methicillin Resistant Staph infections (MRSA) in people. It is said we are contributing to the resistant reservoir. I say show me the research demonstrating this.

For nearly 20 years, there has been ongoing litigation of some sort between Oklahoma and Arkansas regarding the Illinois Water Rivershed. The most recent courtroom battle, State of Oklahoma v. Tyson Foods, Inc., has nearly come to a close – the parties have made their best arguments and the waiting game has begun as U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frizzell contemplates a decision in the complicated case. As we patiently await a verdict, it’s interesting to consider the history of the previously fought battles over water and review the path the current case has taken.

Due to Congressional inaction in the final weeks of 2009, the estate tax has been repealed for individuals dying during 2010. This should be good news, but it can have a significant adverse impact on families with accumulated assets in excess of $1 million. Because of this surprising failure by Congress to address the estate tax situation and prevent the repeal as most commentators had expected, you should consider reviewing your current estate planning documents with your attorney.

This article will cover three tax issues that are of concern during 2010, or could affect 2009 income tax returns filed in 2010. The first topic deals with the Make Work Pay Credit. The second topic will discuss the effect of capital gains taxes on sales in 2010 and subsequent years. Finally, I will briefly discuss income tax issues that may arise on property inherited from a person who died in 2010.

This article addresses agreements between landowners and the individuals who farm their land, namely sharecroppers and tenants. While the difference between these legal concepts can sometimes be rather blurry, particularly where no written agreement exists, determining whether the cultivator is a tenant or a sharecropper depends on the facts of the relationship agreed to by the parties. 

In the beginning, a family business sounds like a sensible idea. One family member can tend to the books while another takes charge of day-to-day operations. And it may all run like clockwork – for a while.