Happy Friday!  Here are some of the ag law stories in the news over the past couple of weeks.

Photo by Adrien Bruneau on Unsplash

* Court overturns punitive damage award in case involving peach farm and dicamba drift.  The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has overturned a $60 million punitive damage award in a case involving dicamba drift damage to a Missouri peach farm.  The court affirmed the remainder of the case, but has ordered a new trial on the sole issue of punitive damages.  I’ll have a blog post on Monday reviewing the entire opinion.  [Read article here.]

* Trial delayed in Texas v. New Mexico water case.  The Special Master has delayed the October trial date in Texas v. New Mexico, a case involving a dispute over water in the Rio Grande.  The United States, New Mexico, Colorado, and a mediator sought the delay siting a “settlement in principle.”  Texas objected to the delay, arguing there could still be obstacles to finalizing any settlement agreement.  [Read article here.]

*New Mexico jury awards over $10 million to cattle feeder in dispute with Tyson Foods.  A New Mexico jury has awarded $2.5 million in actual damages and $8 million in punitive damages to a cattle feeder, Zia Agricultural Consulting in a breach of contract suit against Tyson Foods.  The dispute centered on the parties’ agreement to payment terms for cattle that Zia secured and fed for Tyson.  Zia claimed that Tyson agreed to a “close-plus” model, while Tyson argued the parties had a verbal pricing agreement based on historical agreements between the parties.  The jury found that Tyson breached the contract.  [Read article here.]

*Minnesota farmer indicted for falsely selling grain as organic.  A Missouri farmer has been indicted by a grand jury for falsely selling grain as being organic.  Charges include three counts of wire fraud.  He allegedly purchased non-organic grain and resold it as organic, as well as growing conventionally farmed crops himself and selling them as organic. [Read article here.]

*Women’s Conference in Fredericksburg, TX October 10-11.  One of my favorite conferences of the year is the Bennett Trust Land Stewardship Women’s Conference in Fredericksburg.  It is a great opportunity for women in agricultural and those who own rural land to gather and hear from great speakers.  This year’s event will be October 10-11.  You can get more information and register here.  [Read article here.]

*Virtual Suicide Prevention Training for Agricultural Communities.  On August 3, there will be a 1.5 hour virtual training focused on teaching people to recognize and respond to mental health crises in rural communities.  The event will be hosted by the AgriSafe Network.  [For more info or to register, click here.]