It has certainly been a challenging week here in the Texas Panhandle.  Thank you to everyone who checked on me and my family.  Things got pretty intense for us on Tuesday as an evacuation order was issued.  We were able to get our cattle out of the pasture closest to the fire.  The fire missed our property, but so many others were not as fortunate.   The fires continue to burn.

Many of you have asked how you can help.  Here is information on the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension relief efforts:

With that, let’s jump into the ag law news around the country.

* Generally Accepted Agricultural Practices in Texas manual released. As required by the Texas Legislature in the Texas Right to Farm statute, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has drafted and released its manual of the generally accepted agricultural practices in Texas.  [View manual here.]

*Texas farmers file lawsuit against Synagro for alleged PFAS contamination.  Farmers from Grandview have filed a lawsuit against Synagro claiming that their farms were damaged by toxic chemicals in fertilizer their neighbor purchased from Synagro and applied to his fields.  They claim the fertilizer contained PFAS and caused a host of damages to land, water, and medical ailments.  They brought several causes of action including strict liability for a product defect, negligence, and nuisance.  The lawsuit was filed in Baltimore County, Maryland, Synagro’s principal place of business.[Read Complaint here.]

 * Injunction issued in lawsuit challenging Florida’s foreign ownership law.  The United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit recently issued a partial injunction in a lawsuit challenging Florida’s foreign ownership law.  The partial injunction will prevent Florida from enforcing the law against the two named defendants pending appeal. In analyzing this injunction, the court held that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their claims that the Florida statute is preempted by federal law.  [Read order here and article here.]

*   Farm transition planning strategies for second marriages.  Robert Moore at Ohio State University is doing a multi-part series on farm transition planning for families with a second marriage.  His first post looks at using trusts to successfully transition the farm to the next generation.  [Read post here.]

*Sriracha farming story and lesson.  Joel Cape wrote a great blog post discussing the story of  Sriracha and how an underlying farm contract disagreement killed a million dollar partnership.  Joel wonders if a written contract would have saved the relationship.  Too bad they did not come to our leasing workshops.  [Read article here.]

Upcoming Presentations

I’ve got a busy speaking calendar for the month of March!  Next week, I’ll be in Amarillo to speak at the Judges & Commissioners Conference.  The following week, I’ll be in Kerrville to speak at the Bennett Trust Land Stewardship Conference.  For more information, click here.

To see my full list of upcoming programs, click here!