Happy Cinco de Mayo to you all!  I hope everyone is having a great week.  Here are some of the ag law stories in the news.

* Company cancels request for registration of Kaput feral hog pesticide in Texas.  Scimetrics, the company seeking registration in Texas for warfarin-based poison, Kaput, for use on feral hogs has withdrawn their request.  The company stated that due to pending and threatened lawsuits, they could not risk the “disruption of our business” at this time by seeking to proceed with this product in Texas.  This withdrawal came shortly after the Texas House passed a bill that would have required state agencies or universities to conduct research on the Kaput product before it could be sold in Texas.  [Read article here.]

*Corps of Engineers points finger at EPA for WOTUS rule.  Last week, the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on the WOTUS rule to evaluate the scientific and legal basis for the rule promulgated by the EPA and Corps of Engineers.  According to Major General John Peabody, the Corps was shut out of the rulemaking process, contrary to EPA’s claim that the agencies worked jointly on the rule.  As has become expected by this point, the drama surrounding WOTUS continues.  [Read article here.]

*Animal rights groups sue California State Fair.  In February, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and other animal rights groups files suit against the California State Fair alleging the illegal confinement (use of farrowing crates) of pregnant and nursing sows at the Livestock Nursery Exhibit at the fair. Specifically, the plaintiffs claim that the exhibit violates California’s anti-cruelty law.  The lawsuit seeks a court order to prohibit the fair from using farrowing crates, declare it illegal for the fair to use farrowing crates, and award attorney’s fees to the plaintiffs.  [Read Complaint here.]

*  John Deere will not acquire Monsanto-owned Precision Planting LLC.  You may remember back in September that the Department of Justice sought to block John Deere’s acquisition of Precision Planting by filing an anti-trust lawsuit.  Earlier this week, Monsanto announced that the deal between the companies had been terminated.  [Read article here.]