Yesterday, I enjoyed a trip to Lubbock to attend the planning meeting of the county extension agents in Districts 1 and 2.  Led by RPD, Danny Nusser, the agents worked hard to come up with program plans for 2015.  It sounds like there will be lots of great programs in the Panhandle and South Plains next year!  I appreciated the opportunity to attend.

Here are a few ag law stories in the news this week.

* Eminent Domain Controversy Near Mumford.  A proposed rail yard has caused a controversy near Mumford, TX.  Many farmers in the area have been there for generations and fear the proposed rail yard would take hundreds of acres of cotton out of production.  [Read two-part article here and here.]

Photo via Jennifer Blackburn Photography

* Legal Issues Facing the Oil and Gas Industry.  The Oil and Gas Financial Journal published an interesting article outlining the major legal issues facing the oil and gas industry.  Many of these issues, also, impact agriculture.  Issues identified include water use, transportation, water disposal, seismic activity, and local fracking bans.   [Read article here.]

*Is Your Farm Ready for the Next Generation?  Farm Futures published an article asking this important question.  The article recommends determining the needs of your operation, the skills of the next generation, and analyzing the farm’s financials.  [Read article here.]

* Groundwater 101.  The Texas Water Resource Institute put together a definition list as part of their Groundwater 101 series.  The publication includes scientific terminology related to water law, an explanation of the many acronyms used in Texas groundwater law, and a list of the various agencies involved with groundwater.  [Read article here.]

* 40 Maps Explain Food in America.  For those of you visual learners, this article contains 40 different maps depicting various food statistics across the country.  Some of these were really interesting and cover issues ranging from food policy to production to economics to health to regional food preferences.  [Read article here.]