Supreme Court Rules Against Organic Farmers In Pesticide Case
8-1-12 (St. Paul, MN) -- The Minnesota Supreme Court today (Wed) reversed an appeals court decision, ruling that pesticides which drift from one farm onto another do *not* constitute trespassing. Stearns County organic farmers Oluf and Debra Johnson sued a Payneville co-op, claiming pesticide drift forced them to destroy some crops and take contaminated fields out of organic production. Justice Alan Page dissented with the high court's ruling, saying it could be considered trespassing when a substance settles on the land and damages it. The Supreme Court did, however, allow the Johnsons to pursue nuisance and negligence claims in district court.