Monthly Archives: February 2025

Lawsuits, Disaster Declaration After PFAS Contaminates Farms in Johnson County, Texas

Posted on by

Farmers in Johnson County, Texas are in the epicenter of litigation surrounding alleged PFAS contamination of agricultural land, water, and livestock.  There are now two pending lawsuits, and the County has declared a state of emergency. Background Plaintiffs James Farmer, Robin Alessi, Patsy Schultz, and Tony and Karen Coleman are farmers in Johnson County, Texas. Defendant, Synagro Tech, produces a biosolid fertilizer, Granulite.  Plaintiffs allege Synagro has contracts with more than 1,000 municipal wastewater facilities across the country, including with the City of Ft. Worth. The Complaint alleges… Read More →

February 21, 2025 Weekly Round Up

Posted on by

It has been a frigid week here in Texas.  We hope everyone has stayed safe and warm.  Here are some of the agricultural law stories from around the country. * Final Corporate Transparency Act injunction lifted; reporting requirement back in place with March 21 deadline.  The rollercoaster ride continues.  On Monday, a federal judge in Texas lifted the final nationwide injunction pausing the Corporate Transparency Act reporting requirements for entities around the country.  This means that entities are required to report their beneficial ownership information to FinCEN.  On… Read More →

Recent Podcasts and Interviews

Posted on by

Hello from a very chilly 7 degree day in the Texas Panhandle!  Today, we are going to share a couple of articles I have written and interviews I have done lately. Basically Famous Podcast Many of you know Tyler Schuster, the host of the Basically Famous podcast.  She asked me to be a guest on her show to chat about my life and career, some lessons I have learned along the way, mentorship, and more.  You can listen to our conversation here. Ag industry sees legal changes in… Read More →

2025 Federal Estate and Gift Tax Limits

Posted on by

Recently, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) announced the 2025 estate and gift tax exemption amounts.  Generally speaking, these amounts change slightly each year, and are an important consideration in a person’s estate planning process. Background As we have discussed numerous times on this blog and our Ag Law in the Field Podcast, Congress sets an amount of assets that a person is allowed to give during their lifetime or at death without incurring estate or gift tax liability. This is known as the lifetime exemption.  The IRS adjusts… Read More →

February 7, 2025 Weekly Round Up

Posted on by

We are back with another weekly round up of agricultural law news from around the country. * Texas law requires confirming homestead exemption status every 5 years. A new law, passed in 2023, requires appraisal districts in Texas to determine eligibility for a homestead exemption every 5 years. Appraisal districts will do this by sending out a letter seeking confirmation of homestead status.  It is critical that homeowners do not ignore this letter! [Read article here.] *Senate agriculture committee advances nomination of Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture.  A… Read More →

The Beef Checkoff and Direct Beef Sales

Posted on by

An important issue for direct beef sales businesses to consider is the payment of the Beef Checkoff assessment. The national Beef Checkoff program was established through the Beef Promotion and Research Act as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The Beef Checkoff aims to build demand for beef and beef products, both domestically and internationally, through initiatives such as consumer advertising, marketing partnerships, public relations, education, research, and new product development. In 2014, Texas cattle producers voted to pass a state Beef Checkoff that works specifically for in-state… Read More →