Author Archives: tiffany.dowell

Court Rules in Corner-Crossing Trespassing Case

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The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued an important ruling in Iron Bar Holdings, LLC v. Cape, a case regarding “corner-crossing” on checkerboarded land in the West.  This important decision impacts landowners and the public alike. Background Across the western United States, there are millions of acres platted into squares that alternate in ownership with one square being private and the next public that resembles a checkerboard.  For 150 years, a conflict has been brewing over property law and access to public lands in… Read More →

March 21, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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We’ve reached another Friday!  There is certainly no shortage of agricultural law news recently. * Synagro releases independent study in Johnson County, TX concluding fertilizer did not cause PFAS contamination.  You may recall from this prior blog post that Johnson County landowners have filed several lawsuits related to PFAS contamination of their land allegedly caused by Synagro biosolid fertilizer.  This week Synagro issued a press release announcing the results of an independent study conducted on the Johnson County land.  The study, done by Parsons Corporation and Dr. Linda… Read More →

Ag Law in the Field Podcast: Episodes 181-190

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Did you know that I host a podcast about agricultural law called Ag Law in the Field?  It’s a really fun project that allows me to introduce listeners to some of the best ag lawyers in the country and to discuss some of the most interesting issues in ag law. If you aren’t familiar with Ag Law in the Field or with podcasts in general, don’t panic.  This is simply another resource that I have available for you to learn more about agricultural law.  Each episode is audio-only,… Read More →

Understanding Carbon Offsets and Insets in Agriculture

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Understanding the concepts surrounding lowering carbon emissions can be confusing.  However, as many companies undertake efforts to reduce their carbon emissions, two main strategies have emerged:  carbon offsets and carbon insets.   While both strategies can be used by a company to reduce their company’s carbon footprint, they can have very different implications for agriculture. My colleague, Dr. Jordan Shockley, along with Casey Matzke and I, recently wrote a fact sheet discussing the difference between carbon offsets and insets and what these approaches mean for those of us involved… Read More →

March 7, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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Happy March!  We are here with another rundown of some of the biggest agricultural law stories in the news from the past couple of weeks. * Treasury department announces suspension of Corporate Transparency Act reporting for US citizens and domestic companies.  It would not be a weekly round up if we did not include news about the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA).  The US Department of Treasury announced that it will not be enforcing or assessing penalties for those failing to comply with the reporting requirements of the CTA at… Read More →

FinCEN Will Not Enforce Corporate Transparency Act Requirements at This Time

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Once again, there is a new update related to the status of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). New Update and Deadline On Monday, February 17, 2025, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas lifted the nationwide injunction in Smith v. U.S. Department of the Treasury that prevented the beneficial ownership requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act from going into effect. This was the final nationwide injunction in place pausing the reporting requirements.  In light of this ruling, the United States Department of Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement… Read More →

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

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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

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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

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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

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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 →