Welcome to the end of August!  I’m not sure how the summer has already flown by, but here we are.  This week I was in Stephenville in Tuesday for an agricultural leasing and law program.  We had a great turnout, so welcome to those of you joining from that event.

Here are some of the ag law stories in the news this week.

TAMU Agrilife photo by Robert Byrns

* Appellate court reverses trial court decision in Lost Pines GCD date.  Earlier this year, a Bastrop County judge held that the Lost Pines GCD should have allowed area landowners without competing water wells to have party status to protest a permit application in the District.  [Read prior post here.]  This week, the Austin Court of Appeals found that the trial court lacked subject matter jurisdiction, reversed the decision, and dismissed the case.  The court did not reach the merits of the case, meaning they did not comment on whether the landowners should have been granted party status.  [Read opinion here.]  One judge issued a concurring opinion, noting that under the merits he would have sided with the GCD in denying permit status.  [Read concurring opinion here.]

* Maui appeals Clean Water Act ruling to US Supreme Court.  You may recall from this prior blog post that the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled against Maui, finding that the Clean Water Act applied to groundwater serving as a conduit between a pollutant and a jurisdictional water.  [Read prior post here.]  This week, attorneys for Maui filed a petition for certiorari in the US Supreme Court seeking review of that decision.

* Biggest threats to successful estate planning.  Cari Rincker wrote a great blog post about the biggest “don’ts” when estate planning.  From family conflict to a lack of planning to choosing the wrong representative, Cari offers some great advice and considerations.  [Read blog post here.]

* Harvest inspiration from my toddler.  In last week’s round up, I failed to include the link to read the blog post I mentioned.  To hear a good reminder about what matters this harvest season, check out this story about my two year-old.  [Read post here.]

Programs Next Week

On Tuesday, I’ll be speaking in Childress at the Childress County Wildlife Conference on hunting leases.  That event will be at the Fair Park Auditorium starting at 11.

Then I’m headed to College Station.  On Friday, I’ll be presenting with Dr. Greg Kaase at the Ranchers Leasing Workshop event in Bryan/College Station.  We’ve got a few seats left, so click here for more info.  On Saturday, I’ll be speaking at the Texas A&M Ag Economics Department Tailgate at the AGLS Building at 1:30.  If you’re headed to the game, swing by!

Ranchers Leasing Workshop is now available on demand to be taken anytime at your own pace. To register click here.

To see all my upcoming programs, click here.