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End-of-life decisions and directives can be one of the hardest parts of estate planning. However, having an advanced directive can save your loved ones much stress and anguish in an already difficult time. The end-of-life directives are typically completed as part of the estate planning process but can be done at any time, independent of the estate planning process.
Did you know yellow grove bamboo is on Ohio’s “noxious weeds” list? We’ve seen an increase in legal questions about bamboo, a plant that can cross property boundaries pretty quickly and create a neighbor dispute. Weeds often cause neighbor issues, which is why Ohio has a set of noxious weed laws. The laws aim to resolve problems around yellow grove bamboo and other species designated as “noxious weeds.”
The noxious weeds list
The siting of renewable energy projects on Ohio farmland is a divisive issue these days, pitting neighbors against neighbors and farmers against farmers. Some support expanding renewable energy capacity while others oppose losing productive farmland or changing the rural landscape. A common question arising in this conflict is this: when can a county or township say “no” to a proposed renewable energy development? Several new laws, old laws, and recent court cases can help answer this question, although the answer is not always clear.
Farm neighbor laws have been around nearly as long as there have been farm neighbors. From trees to fences to drainage, farmers can impact and be impacted by their neighbors. In the spirit of managing these impacts and helping everyone get along, our courts and legislatures have established a body of laws over the years that allocate rights and responsibilities among farm neighbors. Explaining these laws is the goal of our new series on farm neighbor laws.
Solar and wind energy development is thriving in Ohio, and most of that development will occur on leased farmland. Programs in the newly enacted federal Inflation Reduction Act might amplify renewable energy development even more. The decision to lease land for wind and solar development is an important one for a farmland owner, and one that remains with a farm for decades. It’s also a very controversial issue in Ohio today, with farmers and community residents lining up on both sides of the controversy. For these reasons, when a landowner receives a “letter of intent”
In a prior blog post, we discussed whether a will or trust might be needed for an estate plan. Another common question is: what is an irrevocable trust and do I need one? Irrevocable trusts have their place in estate planning but not everyone needs one nor should everyone have one.
September 1 is fast approaching, and this year it’s an especially important date for landowners leasing cropland under an existing lease that doesn’t address when or how the lease terminates. In those situations, September 1 is the new deadline established in Ohio law for a landowner to notify a tenant that the landowner wants to terminate the lease. If the landowner does not provide notice by September 1, the lease continues for another lease term.
