Texas Property Tax Deadlines Coming Up!

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If you own land in Texas, there are several important property tax deadlines coming your way! APRIL 30 The deadline for applying for special use valuation such as ag use valuation, open space valuation, and wildlife management valuation is April 30.  This applies to landowners filing a special use valuation application for the first time.  It also applies for landowners currently receiving agricultural use who want to change their qualifying use to wildlife management valuation.  Additionally, remember, if you purchased or inherited land in the last year, the… Read More →

April 4, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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We are back with another list of ag law stories in the news! *The great pig war of Matagorda County.  Texas Monthly recently published an article on a dispute involving a pig farm and neighboring landowners in Matagorda County.  This dispute centers around the application of the Texas Right to Farm statute.  [Read article here.] *FIinCEN publishes new interim final rule; only foreign entities required to file.  Our rollercoaster ride seems to have come to completion with regard to beneficial ownership reporting under the Corporate Transparency Act.  Last week,… Read More →

Court Rules in Corner-Crossing Trespassing Case

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The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued an important ruling in Iron Bar Holdings, LLC v. Cape, a case regarding “corner-crossing” on checkerboarded land in the West.  This important decision impacts landowners and the public alike. Background Across the western United States, there are millions of acres platted into squares that alternate in ownership with one square being private and the next public that resembles a checkerboard.  For 150 years, a conflict has been brewing over property law and access to public lands in… Read More →

March 21, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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We’ve reached another Friday!  There is certainly no shortage of agricultural law news recently. * Synagro releases independent study in Johnson County, TX concluding fertilizer did not cause PFAS contamination.  You may recall from this prior blog post that Johnson County landowners have filed several lawsuits related to PFAS contamination of their land allegedly caused by Synagro biosolid fertilizer.  This week Synagro issued a press release announcing the results of an independent study conducted on the Johnson County land.  The study, done by Parsons Corporation and Dr. Linda… Read More →

Ag Law in the Field Podcast: Episodes 181-190

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Did you know that I host a podcast about agricultural law called Ag Law in the Field?  It’s a really fun project that allows me to introduce listeners to some of the best ag lawyers in the country and to discuss some of the most interesting issues in ag law. If you aren’t familiar with Ag Law in the Field or with podcasts in general, don’t panic.  This is simply another resource that I have available for you to learn more about agricultural law.  Each episode is audio-only,… Read More →

Understanding Carbon Offsets and Insets in Agriculture

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Understanding the concepts surrounding lowering carbon emissions can be confusing.  However, as many companies undertake efforts to reduce their carbon emissions, two main strategies have emerged:  carbon offsets and carbon insets.   While both strategies can be used by a company to reduce their company’s carbon footprint, they can have very different implications for agriculture. My colleague, Dr. Jordan Shockley, along with Casey Matzke and I, recently wrote a fact sheet discussing the difference between carbon offsets and insets and what these approaches mean for those of us involved… Read More →

March 7, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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Happy March!  We are here with another rundown of some of the biggest agricultural law stories in the news from the past couple of weeks. * Treasury department announces suspension of Corporate Transparency Act reporting for US citizens and domestic companies.  It would not be a weekly round up if we did not include news about the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA).  The US Department of Treasury announced that it will not be enforcing or assessing penalties for those failing to comply with the reporting requirements of the CTA at… Read More →

FinCEN Will Not Enforce Corporate Transparency Act Requirements at This Time

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Once again, there is a new update related to the status of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). New Update and Deadline On Monday, February 17, 2025, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas lifted the nationwide injunction in Smith v. U.S. Department of the Treasury that prevented the beneficial ownership requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act from going into effect. This was the final nationwide injunction in place pausing the reporting requirements.  In light of this ruling, the United States Department of Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement… Read More →

Lawsuits, Disaster Declaration After PFAS Contaminates Farms in Johnson County, Texas

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Farmers in Johnson County, Texas are in the epicenter of litigation surrounding alleged PFAS contamination of agricultural land, water, and livestock.  There are now two pending lawsuits, and the County has declared a state of emergency. Background Plaintiffs James Farmer, Robin Alessi, Patsy Schultz, and Tony and Karen Coleman are farmers in Johnson County, Texas. Defendant, Synagro Tech, produces a biosolid fertilizer, Granulite.  Plaintiffs allege Synagro has contracts with more than 1,000 municipal wastewater facilities across the country, including with the City of Ft. Worth. The Complaint alleges… Read More →

February 21, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It has been a frigid week here in Texas.  We hope everyone has stayed safe and warm.  Here are some of the agricultural law stories from around the country. * Final Corporate Transparency Act injunction lifted; reporting requirement back in place with March 21 deadline.  The rollercoaster ride continues.  On Monday, a federal judge in Texas lifted the final nationwide injunction pausing the Corporate Transparency Act reporting requirements for entities around the country.  This means that entities are required to report their beneficial ownership information to FinCEN.  On… Read More →