The year may be winding down, but the ag law news is not!  Let’s get caught up.

Photo by Karli Kaase

* Corporate Transparency Act reporting put on hold by injunction.  On Monday, we published our blog post reminding you of the upcoming beneficial ownership reporting deadline under the Corporate Transparency Act.  On Tuesday, a federal judge issued a nationwide injunction pausing the law and the deadlines after finding it likely that plaintiffs would succeed on the merits of their lawsuit.  [Read Order here.]  You have to admit, ag law is exciting!

*Brooke Rollins will be Trump administration nominee for Secretary of Agriculture.  Texas A&M alum and current President of the America First Policy Institute, Brooke Rollins, has been announced as the nominee for Secretary of Agriculture.  [Read article here.]

*Article highlights Texas lawsuit over ownership of underground salt caverns.  The Texas Supreme Court has heard oral arguments but has not yet ruled in Myers-Woodward, LLC v. Underground Services Markham, LLC,  a case raising questions about the ownership of and property mineral royalty payments involving underground salt caverns.  [Read article here.]

*Senate releases draft farm bill proposal.  The Senate Ag Committee released their draft farm bill in mid-November. The text of the bill is available here.   A summary of the key provisions is available here.  You may recall that the House Ag Committee released their draft bill in May.  The full text of the House bill is available here and a summary can be found here.

* Eleven members of Congress send letter to USDA requesting postponement of EID rule.  On November 16, eleven members of Congress sent a letter to the USDA asking the agency to postpone the enforcement of the new EID law for certain cattle and bison crossing state lines that went into effect on November 5.  In the letter, the lawmakers noted the lawsuit recently filed by R-Calf and a number of other groups challenging the legality of the law, and the lack of access to ear tags for producers in certain states as reasons for postponing the rule.  [Read article here.]  To learn more about the EID rule, we have a blog post here and a podcast episode with Chelsea Good here.

*Court blocks enforcement of Arkansas foreign land ownership law.  A federal judge in Arkansas issued a temporary order blocking the state’s enforcement of two laws prohibiting land ownership by foreign entities.  [Read article here.]

*Article about legal issues arising from lithium mining in East Texas.  Two lawyers at Vinson & Elkins wrote a great article looking at a number of legal issues related to lithium mining in East Texas.  They did a great job laying out the issues, uncertainty, and why it all matters.  [Read article here.]  To hear more about lithium mining, click here for a prior podcast episode with Josh Ellis.

*Three Senators encourage EPA not to register dicamba products.  Three Democratic Senators, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, and Peter Welch urged the agency to reject pending applications from Bayer, BASF, and Syngenta to register their dicamba products for use with soybeans and cotton.  The Senators say that dicamba has caused “unprecedented” drift damage and it is “abundantly clear that dicamba cannot be ‘fixed.'”   [Read article here.]

*How could tax law changes affect you in 2025?  Tim Halbach wrote an article outlining some potential tax law changes that could have big impacts on farms and ranches next year.  This includes the state tax, gift tax, and more.  [Read article here.]

Upcoming Presentations

We are on the downhill for my 2024 speaking schedule!  On Thursday, December 12, I will be in Spearman to talk about estate planning.  On Tuesday, December 17, you can find me along with Leah Davis and Miquela Smith in Canyon for our Farm Hope program focusing on estate planning and farm and ranch stress.  To learn more or register, click here.

I’m hard at work on my 2025 schedule, which you can find here.