May was an extremely busy month, both for agricultural law and for me! Because of that, our Monthly Round Up is a couple of days late. Let’s run through some of the biggest ag law developments in the last month.
Photo by Randy Fath on Unsplash
* House Passes Farm Bill 2.0. The United States House of Representatives passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act, known as the Farm Bill 2.0. The Bill will now move to the Senate. [Read article here.]
* US Supreme Court hears oral argument in Durnell v. Monsanto. As we previously wrote a blog post about, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Durnell v. Monsanto, a case addressing federal preemption of state law failure to warn claims when it comes to pesticides like Roundup. The Court heard oral arguments in the case at the end of April and a decision is expected by the end of June. [Listen to oral argument here.]
* Judge approves $99 million settlement by John Deere in right to repair cases. A federal judge has preliminarily approved the proposed $99 million settlement John Deere has agreed to settle claims related to right to repair. In addition the payout, which will be paid to farmers and producers who paid authorized Deere dealers for repair services between January 2018 and May 2026, Deere has agreed to provide farmers and independent repair shops with the software necessary to repair equipment for the next 10 years. Estimates show over 200,000 farmers could be members of the class. The final approval hearing will occur in October. [Read article here.] Additionally, we recently posted a podcast episode on Right to Repair with Ross Pifer.
* Hill County passes 1-year moratorium on data centers. Hill County Commissioners voted 3-2 to enact a one-year moratorium on data center development on unincorporated areas in the county. Almost immediately, a lawsuit was filed by RCM Hill LLC claiming that the moratorium is both illegal and unconstitutional. [Read articles here and here.]
* Federal court rejects proposed settlement in Oklahoma poultry litter lawsuit. A court has rejected a proposed settlement between the State of Oklahoma and four poultry companies in ongoing litigation concerning phosphorous levels in the Illinois River Watershed in Oklahoma. The court identified several issues with the proposed settlement including the length being too short, there being inadequate funding, and an unworkable structure. Beth Rumley wrote a great article summarizing this case and the court’s ruling here.
* Federal court dismissed challenge to Iowa farm security law. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has dismissed an appeal challenging Iowa’s farm security law (known as an “ag gag” law). The Court held the law does not violate the First Amendment. [Read opinion here.]
* Ag-related priorities in 2026 Texas Legislature. Texas Farm Bureau recently published an article highlighting some of the biggest ag law-related issues expected to come up during the 2026 Legislative session. [Read article here.]
* Where’s the Beef? video project wins awards. Our Where’s the Beef? Video Series was recently named the Outstanding Project for the Southern Region and a Project of Excellence at the National Extension Management Conference. They created a video highlighting our project you can see below.
* Nugget All-American sheep show and sale. Many of you follow my family and our stock show adventures. We recently returned from Reno, where our family’s operation, Dowell Show Lambs, was named the Premier Consignor and won the Supreme Champion Wether and the Reserve Supreme Champion Ewe. We’re lucky to be able to do this with our family including my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, and my husband and kids.
