Category Archives: Estate Planning

“Paid in Sweat, Secured by Planning”

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I was honored to do an interview with Laura Handke for an article she was writing on estate planning for Red Angus magazine.  Not only are Red Angus my favorite breed of cattle, a trait passed down to me from my grandmother, this is an extremely important topic for all farmers and ranchers to consider. Laura did a great job on this article, highlighting some of the key considerations for ag operations as they prepare an estate and succession plan. To read the article, click here and scroll… Read More →

Is Witness to a Will Required to Know What the Signor is Signing?

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Does a witness to a will signing have to know what is being signed?  This was the question recently before the Amarillo Court of Appeals in In the estate of Chester Freeman Youngblood, deceased.[Read Opinion here.] Background The court summarized the case this way:  “This case has all the makings of a legal riddle:  two Debras, two wills, and one key question–does a witness to a will need to know it’s a will to validly witness the signing of it?” Chester Youngblood died in 2016 under the care of… Read More →

Permanent Increase to Estate Tax Lifetime Exemption

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Anytime I do an estate planning presentation, the topic of the federal estate tax is one on the minds of many in the audience.  In July, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act included an important provision permanently increasing an individual’s lifetime exemption to $15 million. Today, we are going to just hit the high notes of the estate tax and the change to the law included in the One Big Beautiful Bill.  For more information on the estate tax, click here for a podcast episode I did with… Read More →

Probate or Problems: Avoid Family Feuds with Estate Planning for Your Land

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I recently had the chance to join Mac and Wayne on their National Land Podcast to chat about the topic of estate planning.  We had a really fun conversation about things land owners should consider and mistakes we’ve seen in our careers.  You can listen here. If you are interested in farm and ranch estate planning in particular, we have lots of great resources!  Check out the Successful Succession video series I made in conjunction with Texas Corn Producers here.  We also have a playlist of our podcast… Read More →

September 12, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It has been another couple of busy weeks for agricultural law news around the country.  Let’s get caught up. *Federal judge dismisses challenge to Texas’ new foreign ownership law.  A federal judge in the Southern District of Texas has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of SB 17, the law recently passed by the Texas Legislature prohibiting citizens, businesses and governments from certain countries from owning real property in Texas.  The court held that the plaintiffs, three Chinese citizens, lacked standing to bring their claims as they are… Read More →

August 15, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It has been a big few weeks on the agricultural law front!  We’ve got updates on several cases we’ve been following and news on new lawsuits around the country. * Federal court vacates listing of lesser prairie-chicken.  The US District Court for the Western District of Texas had vacated the Endangered Species Act listing of the lesser prairie chicken.  I will have a full blog post explaining the ruling in detail on Monday.  [Read article here.] * Federal court upholds emissions reporting exception for farms.  The United States… Read More →

Off to College? Don’t Forget The Legal Documents Every Adult Needs!

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Back-to-school season is here, and I have several friends sending kids off to college for the first time.  (Shoutout to Addie at Oklahoma State, Hudson, McKinley, and Katie at Texas Tech, and Layni at Yale!)  Certainly, the college prep checklist is full of various items to purchase and consider.  Many college students and parents overlook one key item: Having legal documents in place. Every legal adult (meaning, anyone over the age of 18 years old) should have the following legal documents in place:  Power of attorney, medical power… Read More →

Recent Interviews & Articles

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I’ve been able to give a number of interviews recently on a whole host of ag law-related topics.  We’ve covered some really important issues like getting documents in writing, succession planning, and mental health.  I thought it might be fun to share a few of those interviews today. Beyond the Handshake: 6 Legal Documents that Matter I enjoy any chance to chat with Shelley Huguley at Southwest Farm Press.  We caught up earlier this year at the Plains Cotton Growers Annual Meeting where we talked about my presentation. … Read More →

May 16, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It has been a wild few weeks for agricultural law news!  Let’s get caught up on some of the biggest stories. * Live animal imports suspended along Southern border.  On May 11, 2025, United States Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, suspended live animal imports of cattle, horses, and bison through US ports of entry along the southern border due to concerns about the spread of New World Screwworm (NWS) in Mexico.  At that time, the NWS had been detected 700 miles from the U.S./Mexico border. [Read press release… Read More →

April 4, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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We are back with another list of ag law stories in the news! *The great pig war of Matagorda County.  Texas Monthly recently published an article on a dispute involving a pig farm and neighboring landowners in Matagorda County.  This dispute centers around the application of the Texas Right to Farm statute.  [Read article here.] *FIinCEN publishes new interim final rule; only foreign entities required to file.  Our rollercoaster ride seems to have come to completion with regard to beneficial ownership reporting under the Corporate Transparency Act.  Last week,… Read More →