Wildfire: Preparing the Ranch

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We are excited to announce the release of our most recent publication, Wildfire: Preparing the Ranch.   I was thrilled to be asked to join as a co-author on this handbook, which was primarily drafted by Dr. Morgan Treadwell, one of the nationwide experts on fire and rangelands. Our goal is to provide Texas landowners with practical information and tools to prepare for wildfires and to know what steps to take to protect their property, livestock, belongings, and people should a wildfire occur.  Having had to evacuate livestock… Read More →

January 24, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It has been quite the week with much of the country facing cold temperatures and snow!  Beyond the weather-related news, there were a number of important ag law stories as well. * SCOTUS weighs in on Corporate Transparency Act reporting; a nationwide injunction remains in place.  The litigation surrounding the constitutionality of the Corporate Transparency Act continued this week.  On Thursday, the United States Supreme Court lifted the nationwide injunction in Texas Top Cop Shop v. Garland.  [Read article here.]  Although that stay is no longer in place, there was… Read More →

Enrollment Periods for Crop and Dairy Safety-Net Programs Announced

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The United States Department of Agriculture announced the enrollment periods for key farm safety-net programs.  The enrollment period for ARC (Agriculture Risk Coverage) and PLC (Price Loss Coverage) will run from January 21 – April 15.  For the DMC (Dairy Margin Coverage) program, dairy producers will have from January 29 – March 31 to enroll. ARC/PLC Producers who have land with base acres of covered commodities likely qualify to enroll in either ARC or PLC.  These programs offer financial assistance to producers.  ARC provides payments when a farm’s… Read More →

Court Finds Surface Owner Unable to Enforce Burial Provision in Oil and Gas Lease

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A recent Amarillo Court of Appeals opinion in Unitex WI. LLC v. CT Land and Cattle Co., LLC, raises important questions of the enforceability of surface protections in an oil and gas lease. Background CT Land and Cattle Co., LLC (“CT”) owns the surface interest in a ranch.  It purchased this interest in 2013.  There were a number of oil and gas wells and corresponding pipelines on the ranch at this time.  Unitex WI, LLC and Unitex Oil and Gas, LLC (collectively “Unitex) maintains at least some of the wells… Read More →

January 10, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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Happy New Year!  We are back from the holiday and ready to kick off 2025 with a round up of recent ag law stories in the news.  We know many of you have been dealing with frigid winter weather, and we hope you are all staying warm and safe! *Corporate Transparency Act ping pong.  If you are a subscriber to this blog, you saw multiple posts over the holiday as the status of the Corporate Transparency Act changed multiple times.  On December 23, 2024, the United States Court… Read More →

Top Blogs and Podcast Episodes of 2024

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Each year, we take a look back at our most popular content of 2024 across our various platforms. Texas Agriculture Law Blog Drumroll please…our top 5 most popular blog posts for 2024 are: Renew Your Ag Timber Number Now!  Our most popular post for 2024 involved a January 1, 2024, deadline for Texas producers to renew their ag timber numbers.  Having an ag timber number allows producers and landowners to be exempt from paying sales taxes on the purchase of certain products used in the course of their… Read More →

Yet Another Corporate Transparency Update: Injunction Reinstated

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*Update:  On January 23, 2025, the United States Supreme Court lifted the nationwide injunction in Texas Top Cop Shop, LLC v. Garland.   However, a nationwide injunction entered by the United States District Court for the District of Texas remains in place in a separate case, Smith v. US Department of Treasury. In ight of that, at this time the reporting deadlines are not in place and the requirement is not being enforced.  For the most up to date information, click here.   In what feels a bit like… Read More →

BREAKING NEWS: Court Lifts Injunction; Corporate Transparency Act Reporting Deadline January 13, 2025

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*Update:  On January 23, 2025, the United States Supreme Court lifted the nationwide injunction in Texas Top Cop Shop, LLC v. Garland.   However, a nationwide injunction entered by the United States District Court for the District of Texas remains in place in a separate case, Smith v. US Department of Treasury. In ight of that, at this time the reporting deadlines are not in place and the requirement is not being enforced.  For the most up to date information, click here. Santa Claus is not the only one… Read More →

2024 Year in Review – Texas

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Last week, we published our national 2024 Ag Law Year in Review.  Today, we will focus a little closer to home on the biggest agricultural law related stories here in Texas. Ownership of produced water pending before Texas Supreme Court. In my mind, the most important legal issue for Texans in 2024 involves the ownership of produced water.  This issue was raised in Cactus Water Services, LLC v. COG Operating, LLC and this case has important implications for Texas landowners.  Produced water is the water that is extracted along… Read More →

December 20, 2024 Weekly Round Up

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We have reached our final Weekly Round Up of 2024.  We would like to take a moment to thank all of you who read the Texas Agriculture Law Blog.  We appreciate your support of our work and your interest in agricultural law. With that, let’s jump into the stories in the news the past couple of weeks. *”The path forward is not remotely clear” on aid package for agriculture.  Congress has gone back to the drawing board on a spending bill that would fund the government and include… Read More →