It’s been a bit since our last Weekly Round Up post, but we’re back! Part of the reason for the delay was a recent trip I took with my family to the Nugget All-American sheep show and sale in Reno, NV.  Because I’m a mom and bragging on our kids is what we do, I’m happy to report that both kiddos won banners.  Braun’s lamb was Reserve Supreme Champion Wether and Champion Dorset Wether and Harper’s lamb was Reserve Speck Wether.  My family also raised the Reserve Supreme Champion Ewe.

So, with that out of the way, let’s get caught up on some of the biggest ag law stories in the news over the past month.

*Texas Supreme Court ruling in Hlavinka v. HSC Pipeline.  The biggest ag law news in the last month for Texas landowners is likely the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling in Halvinka v. HSC Pipeline.  To read my full blog post on this case, click here.  To read an article by Vicki Myers for Progressive Farmer, click here.  We’ve also got an Ag Law in the Field Podcast episode on deck once the Texas Supreme Court rules on the pending high speed rail case that will look at both of these important rulings, so stay tuned for that!

*Interesting recent oil and gas cases in Texas.  John McFarland put together a list and summary of several recent oil and gas decisions in Texas Courts of Appeals.  [Read blog post here.]

*New oil and gas pipeline project coming to Central Texas.  KXAN recently published an article about a new pipeline project, the Matterhorn Express Pipeline that would stretch across several Central Texas counties.  [Read article here.]  As Philip Hundl offers in the article, it is critical that landowners receiving any sort of notice or communication involving this (or any other) pipeline project take action now.  Ignoring it will not make it go away.  For information on pipeline easement negotiations in Texas, click here for a landowner guide and click here for a podcast interview with Luke Ellis.

*Cybersecurity on the farm.  I’ll bet that cybersecurity is not high on the list of concerns for most farmers and ranchers in Texas.  However, Rachel Schutte with Farm Progress recently published an article explaining why it should be and offering tips for farmers to protect their software and data from attack.  [Read article here.]

*Setting up legacy contacts for online accounts.  The Washington Post recently published an interesting article about setting up legacy contacts for online accounts.  Essentially, this is selecting a person to manage all of your digital assets–accounts, social media, photos, smart phones–when you die.   The article offers some tips on how to set these up on various common accounts including the iPhone, Android, Facebook, and Google.  [Read article here.]

*Democratic senators urge Solicitor General to support Proposition 12 before US Supreme Court.  According to Farm Progress, a group of Democratic senators, including Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman, Debbie Stabenow, urged the Solicitor General to support Proposition 12, which will be considered by the US Supreme Court.   The Trump administration previously indicated it did not support the California law, and these senators indicate that they believe that position was “based on a misconception of the law.”  The senators believe that adopting the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation’s position in this case would have far-reaching consequences beyond Proposition 12.  [Read article here.]