Here are some of the ag law stories that have been in the news recently.

Photo by Zen Chung from Pexels

*HSUS files lawsuit against Smithfield.  The Humane Society of the United States has filed suit against Smithfield Food alleging the company made false claims regarding animal care standards that mislead consumers.  In particular, the lawsuit takes aim at claims related to gestation crates and group housing of sows.  [Read article here.]

*Groups object to EPA rule banning chlorpyrifos.  You may recall from this prior blog post that the EPA passed a rule that will revoke all tolerances of chlorpyrifos.  Eighty agricultural groups have objected to this rule.  [Read article here.]

*Property tax questions to ask when buying rural land in Texas.  Cassie Gresham recently published an article on questions about property taxes to ask when purchasing rural land in Texas.  It can be easy to overlook these questions when you are excited about purchasing a piece of property, but doing so can be really important and have major impacts on the taxes you may owe.  [Read article here.]

*Considerations for carbon contracts.  Carbon contracts have been a hot topic this year in agriculture.  I’m going to be recording a podcast next week with a couple of attorneys who have experience in negotiating and drafting these types of contracts for ag clients.  Joel Cape recently published a great “points to ponder” list for anyone looking at a carbon contract.  View list here.  The one suggestion that I’ll make now is that anyone considering entering into a carbon contract, please use an attorney who is familiar with this topic to review the contract before you sign.

*What do you own?  Sam Moak, an attorney in Huntsville, TX, recently wrote a column discussing the importance of landowners understanding what they own.  He offers some great considerations and highlights the importance of ensuring property–especially that which a person inherits–is properly titled.  [Read article here.]

Upcoming Presentations

Next week, I’ll be in Lubbock on October 27 to speak on agricultural law hot topics at the Judges and Commissioners Conference.  The following week, I will kick off November guest lecturing along with Amber Miller and Jim Bradbury at our friend Jesse Richardson’s water law course at West Virginia School of Law.   Then, on November 4, I’ll head to Salt Lake City for the American Ag Law Association Conference.   To view all of my upcoming programs, click here.