Stable Investment Partnership v. Vilsack, No. 12 C 5556, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34565 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 17, 2014)

(Chicago lawyers formed investment partnership and entered into contract with bank that held title to farmland in an "Illinois Land Trust"; partnership held only personal property interest and entered into crop-share lease with farmer; farmer signed-up for federal farm program benefits and local FSA office ultimately determined that partnership not eligible for share of benefits commensurate with lease because bank held legal title to land and not partnership; administrative appeals agreed with FSA's determination; on appeal, trial court affirmed on basis of definition of "owner" contained in 7 C.F.R. Sec. 718.2 and that no IL courts had ever held that a land trust beneficiary is a "legal owner"; court also rejected partnership's argument that FSA had allowed beneficiary of deed of trust to qualify as an "owner" insomuch as FSA position was not arbitrary and capricious).