Well, as you might have seen from the title here, I got a bit behind on my usual podcast recap that I do every 10 episodes.  In light of that, we’ve got some reviewing to do today!

If you aren’t familiar with Ag Law in the Field or with podcasts in general, don’t panic.  This is simply another resource that I have available for you to learn more about Texas agricultural law.  Each episode is audio-only, and I interview an ag lawyer about a specific topic.  The best part…you can listen for free!  In the last 140 episodes, as you can imagine, we’ve covered a lot of ground as far as topics go.  If you’d like to see what we have available, you can check us out on your favorite podcast app, or just click here.  You can scroll down through the different topics and click the black triangle play button to listen.

Episode #111:  Briana Schroeder (Day in the Life – Small Law Firm)  This episode kicked off our “Day in the Life of an Ag Lawyer” series.  It was so fun to chat with Briana about her practice at a small agricultural law firm in Indiana.  If you’re interested in agricultural law, or know someone who is, please do recommend this series to them!

Episode #112:  Nate Huff (Day in the Life – Large Firm)  Next up in our series was Nate Huff to chat with us about large firm life.  I thought this was a really interesting conversation, and I learned some things I didn’t know about practicing agricultural law at a large firm.  (Do note, Nate has since shifted gears and is now a partner at K&L Gates.)  If you’re interested in agricultural law, or know someone who is, please do recommend this series to them!

Episode #113: Ray Starling (Day in the Life – Ag Policy)  Everyone adores Ray Starling.  There was no one else I could have invited on to chat about a career in ag policy.  From the North Carolina Farm Bureau to a staffer at the US Senate to a policy advisor to the President at the White House to the Chief of Staff for the Secretary of the USDA, Ray has seen and done it all, and I was thrilled he was willing to come share with us.  If you’re interested in agricultural law, or know someone who is, please do recommend this series to them!

Episode #114:  Ted Matthews (Farm & Ranch Families + Mental Health)  National Suicide Prevention Awareness month is extremely important to me, and I was so excited to have the opportunity to chat with Ted Matthews. Ted has spent his career working with farmers and ranchers on mental health issues, and this episode was full of insight.

Episode #115:  Mike Traxinger (Day in the Life – In House Counsel)  Back to our Day in the Life Series, I was joined by Mike Traxinger, who ended up serving as in house counsel at Ategra co-op and moving home to help his dad operate the family ranch.  I loved hearing Mike’s story about how he was able to make this dream come true.  If you’re interested in agricultural law, or know someone who is, please do recommend this series to them!

Episode #116:  Peggy Kirk Hall (Day in the Life – Academia)  We wrapped up our series with Peggy Hall chatting with us about what it’s like to be involved in agricultural law as part of an academic institution.  As someone a few years behind Peggy, I’ve really appreciated having her as a role model for my own career!  If you’re interested in agricultural law, or know someone who is, please do recommend this series to them!

Episode #117:  Anson Howard & Todd Janzen (Carbon Contracts)  This is one of our most popular episodes.  I was thrilled to have two attorneys involved in negotiating carbon contracts for their clients come on to chat about what they are seeing, and to offer insight into what landowners need to watch out for when looking at a potential carbon contract.

Episode #118:  Beth Rumley (Animal Confinement Statutes)  With Proposition 12 (and the US Supreme Court’s grant of certiorari), I needed an expert on animal confinement statutes to explain what exactly we’re talking about here.  Enter Beth Rumley from the National Agricultural Law Center!

Episode #119:  Nowell Bereth & Joe Miller (Vaccine Mandates & Agriculture)  This was certainly a hot topic at the 2021 American Agricultural Law Association Conference.  After hearing Nowell and Joe present about the issues facing employers related to vaccine mandates, I knew we had to have them on the show.

Episode #120:  Paul Goeringer (2021 Ag Law Year in Review)  As we do every year, Paul Goeringer and I joined forces to record a joint podcast to chat about the biggest ag law developments in 2021.

Episode #121:  Clinton Griffiths (Ag Media)  My friend (and former neighbor), Clinton Griffiths, kicked off 2022 chatting with us about what it’s like to be involved in agricultural media, some of his most interesting assignments, and what he predicts for 2022.

Episode #122:  Trace Blair (Texas Limited Liability Statutes Update)  After there were major changes to the Texas Farm Animal Liability Act in the 2021 Texas Legislature, Trace Blair came back on the show to, once again, walk us through the three key limited liability statutes for rural landowners.  This episode is a must-listen for anyone who owns rural land in Texas.

Episode #123:  Jim Bradbury (WOTUS Update – Biden Proposed Rule)  He’s baaaaack!  Once again, our resident “Waters of the United States” expert, Jim Bradbury, joined us on the show.  This time, we’re running through the proposed Biden WOTUS definition.

Episode #124:  Emily Unglesbee (Herbicide/Pesticide Hot Topics)  Anytime I needed information about what was going on with the various legal and regulatory issues related to herbicide, Emily Unglesbee was my go-to person.  She has since left Progressive Farmer, but before her exit, she joined me to explain the status of several challenges to various herbicides.

Episode #125:  Clint Robinson (Questions to Ask When Buying Rural Land)  My friend, Clint, spent decades as an agricultural lender, and he has now shifted to selling farm and ranch properties in Texas.  He joined me to offer some thoughts for anyone looking to purchase rural land about what questions to ask.

Episode #126:  Leah Davis (Using Entities in an Estate Plan)  I’ve presented at a couple of estate planning meetings with Leah Davis, and farmers and ranchers absolutely love her.  She joined me on the podcast to chat about a variety of ways entities like LLCs, trusts, and limited partnerships can be used in the farm and ranch estate planning process.

Episode #127:  Rob Hughes & Chris Adams (Texas Forestland & Timber Contracts)  I really enjoyed this episode about the timber industry and timber contracts here in Texas.  Being from the Panhandle, I had a lot to learn, but Rob and Chris did a great job explaining this really interesting industry.

Episode #128:  Dr. Morgan Treadwell (TX Prescribed Burning Law)  Prescribed fire is an important land management tool for Texas landowners.  Luckily, our very own Dr. Morgan Treadwell is an expert on prescribed fire, and she joined me to chat about the law related to prescribed burning in the Lone Star State.

Episode #129: Kristi Boswell (Ag Labor & Immigration Legal & Regulatory Efforts)  When it comes to ag labor and immigration, no one has been more involved in the legal and regulatory efforts than Kristi Boswell.  Kristi joined us to chat about where we have been and where we might be going from an ag labor and immigration perspective.

Episode #130: Shannon Ferrell (This World is Better with You in It)  My friend, Shannon, came on for our annual Mental Health Awareness Month episode.  This episode is packed full of great information, resources, and hope for anyone who is interested in mental health.

Episode #131:  Dr. Justin Benavidez (Risk Management Options for Livestock Producers)  My colleague, Dr. Justin Benavidez, has been working on educational materials for livestock producers to manage risk in their operations.  From futures to rainfall insurance to various government programs, we walked through a number of risk management strategies on this episode.  Also, Dr. Benavidez recently co-authored a book this this same topic, which you can download here.

Episode #132:  Tim Milligan (Wildlife Management Property Tax Valuation in Texas)  There are many Texas landowners who are interested in what they need to do in order to qualify for wildlife management property tax valuation.  Tim Milligan has the answers!  Tim is a frequent presenter at my Owning Your Piece of Texas programs, and he joined us to share some information on the podcast as well.

Episode #133:  David Barron (Employee v. Independent Contractor)  After watching farmers and ranchers in a panic after a session on this topic at a recent conference, I knew we needed someone to come on the show to explain this important legal distinction and the implications thereof.  David Barron came highly recommended, and he did not disappoint.

Episode #134: Eliott Nixon & Amber Miller (Property Damage in Agricultural Law)  This was a really interesting conversation with attorneys Eliott Nixon and Amber Miller about situations where damage to agricultural property frequently occur and what landowners should do if they find themselves in these situations.

Episode #135:  Luke Ellis (TX Supreme Court Eminent Domain Decisions Part 1)  There have been two critical eminent domain decisions from the Texas Supreme Court recently, and Luke Ellis, a former Texas Supreme Court clerk turned landowner eminent domain lawyer came on to explain what the court’s decision means in Hlavinka v. HSC Pipeline.

Episode #136:  Luke Ellis (TX Supreme Court Eminent Domain Decisions Part 2)  This is a continuation of our conversation with Luke.  In this episode, we turn to Miles v. Texas Central Railroad to get his take on the Court’s decision in the challenge to the condemnation authority of the proposed high speed rail between Dallas and Houston.

Episode #137:  Jesse Richardson & Anthony Schutz (SCOTUS Ag Law Preview)  Our favorite law professors are back!  Hear Jesse and Anthony give us the rundown and their predictions on two key cases before the US Supreme Court that have the potential to impact agriculture across the country.

Episode #138:  Maddie Caldwell (Recovering Loudly)  We recorded this episode in honor of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.  Maddie Caldwell, a farm kid from Illinois, shared her story of survival and hope after two suicide attempts.  Maddie is living out one of her favorite quotes in this episode, “When we recover loudly, we keep others from dying quietly.”

Episode #139:  Nate Huff (ESG Litigation & Agriculture)  Honestly, I had never heard of Environmental, Social, and Governance or “greenwashing” litigation until Nate brought it up.  This is a topic everyone in the food and agricultural realm needs to have on their radar.

Episode #140:  Shannon Ferrell (Royal Family Estate & Succession Planning Lessons)  Hear about Shannon Ferrell’s personal connection to Queen Elizabeth II and the lessons we can all learn about farm and ranch estate planning from the Royal Family.