Monthly Archives: April 2026

Animal Confinement Law Update

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Farm animal confinement statutes such as California’s Proposition 12, have been popular in news stories, the legislative branch, and the judiciary around the country.  In recent months, there has been significant developments that necessitate an update on where things currently stand with farm animal confinement statutes. For some background and history on this issue and a discussion of National Pork Producers Council v. Ross, the United States Supreme Court decision involving Proposition 12, click here to read my Congressional Testimony from July 2025. Farm Bill 2.0 Language The United… Read More →

April Monthly Round Up

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We are back with a number of important agricultural law issues in the news for the month of April!   *John Deere agrees to $99 million settlement in right-to-repair class action lawsuit.  John Deere has agreed to pay $99 million to settle a class action lawsuit claiming that Deere made crucial repair tools and software updates unavailable to independent repair shops and farmers.  Those included in the class are individuals or entities who purchased repair services for John Deere large agricultural equipment from January 2018 until the settlement… Read More →

Signage Requirements Under Agritourism Liability Acts – What About Texas?

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I recently co-authored an article for Southern Ag Today with my friend and colleague, Jesse Richardson, that raised an important question about signage required under state landowner liability statutes. Agritourism Act Rulings in Virginia and Washington In the Southern Ag Today article, we focused on two court decisions applying their state’s Agritourism Act.  In Virginia, a trial court held that in order for the Virginia Agritourism Activity Act to apply, the signage should have been individually posted at each different agritourism activity.  Posting one sign at the entrance… Read More →

2025 Rural Land Value Trends Report Released

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Each year, the Texas Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers publishes a Rural Land Value Trends report.  This is one of the best documents available for those interested in the sales value and lease value of rural lands in Texas.  It is also the only publication of which I am aware that provides information on the value of hunting leases. The 2025 report was just released last week.  Click here to download. The report begins with an article by Dr. Lynn Krebs looking… Read More →

2026 Custom Rate Survey Published

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The Texas A&M Agricultural Economics Extension group recently published the 2026 Custom Rates Survey.  This resource offers average prices across Texas for various services such as tractor rental, planting and tillage operations, fertilizing, chemical application, harvesting, land improvement operations, fence building, livestock work and hauling, and predator management. The report is based on producer, custom service provider, and landowner survey responses that were solicited last fall.  Responses are reported both as a statewide number and broken down into four regions. To view the Custom Rates Survey, click here.