Category Archives: Hemp

November 12, 2021 Weekly Round Up

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Welcome to another agricultural law weekly round up.  Here are some of the stories in the news over the past couple of weeks. *PRF (Rainfall Insurance) deadline is December 1 for 2022 sign up.  Did you know you can purchase rainfall insurance?  Essentially, PRF insurance allows you to insure a percentage of normal rainfall for your area, and you trigger a payment if rainfall falls below your insured percentage.  This can be a great risk management tool for livestock producers who have cattle or other livestock on grass. … Read More →

May 21, 2021 Weekly Round Up

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Welcome to Friday! I hope everyone has fun weekend plans.  I will be running a Dinosaur 5K with my kids tomorrow, so we will see how Mama survives with a 4 and 5 year old in tow! Here are some of the biggest ag law stories in the news over the past couple of weeks. *Potential tax policy changes cause concern.  President Biden’s administration has indicated there may be policy changes related to capital gains taxes that have caused concern for many agricultural groups. In particular, President Biden’s… Read More →

March 26, 2021 Weekly Round Up

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Happy Friday!  Here a few of the ag law stories in the news the past couple of weeks. *Maryland trial court ruling on ammonia emissions and the Clean Water Act draws concern.  A recent case decided in Maryland has resulted in nationwide discussion over agriculture and the intersection of the Clean Air and Clean Water Act.  Essentially, the circuit court judge ruled that Maryland must regulate air pollution–ammonia, in particular–under the state’s implementation of the federal Clean Water Act.  This raises concern for livestock producers, who are exempt… Read More →

Hemp Education Video Series: Economic & Legal Considerations for Production in Texas

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We are thrilled to roll out a project we’ve been working on the for the last year.  Thanks to a grant from the Southern Extension Risk Management Education Center, I’ve worked with my colleagues in the Ag Economics Department at Texas A&M to pull together legal and economic resources related to hemp production.  You can find the website here. Specifically, this project is designed as a series of short video presentations (three hours in total) to address the major issues facing Texas hemp producers. When you visit our… Read More →

USDA Releases Final Rule for the Domestic Production of Hemp

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On January 15, 2021, the USDA released the Final Rule for the Domestic Production of Hemp (“Final Rule”). [Read Final Rule here.]  Importantly, this rule does not go into effect until March 22, 2021.  The Biden administration has announced that it will review a number of rules that have been published in the Federal Register, but have not yet gone into effect, including in the Final Rule.   Therefore, this blog post summarizes the Final Rule as it was published in the Federal Register by the Trump Administration. You… Read More →

2020 Agricultural Law Year in Review – Texas

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If you missed our National Year in Review post, click here.  I am not sure I can remember a year with more agricultural law-related opinions being issued by Texas appellate courts. From fence law to eminent domain, hemp to liability, here are some of the biggest legal stories of 2020 from the Lone Star State.   Dicamba Registration Vacated, New Registration Issued, Lawsuit Filed Although this is a national issue, and we addressed it in more detail on our National Year in Review post, because it had such… Read More →

December 4, 2020 Weekly Round Up

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Happy December! Here are a few of the biggest ag law stories in the news over the past couple of weeks. *Dairy farmers receiving letters seeking repayment of funds from Dean Foods.  Many dairy farmers who sold milk to Dean Foods prior to its bankruptcy filing  have been receiving letters recently from ASK, LLC.  Essentially, these letters note that the recipient received some payment from Dean Foods within the 90-days prior to its bankruptcy filing.  After visiting with an ag bankruptcy attorney who has reviewed the letters, he… Read More →

September 11, 2020 Weekly Round Up

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Happy Friday!  We’ve had quite the cold snap come through the Texas Panhandle this week–when I was feeding on Wednesday morning, it was a brisk 36 degrees!  Here’s wishing everyone a big of a warmer weekend. Here are some of the ag law stories over the past couple of weeks. *Court dismisses western cattle groups lawsuits against NWPR Rule.  An Oregon federal court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, Washington Cattlemen’s Association and New Mexico Cattle Growers Association challenging the Navigable Waters Protection Rule,… Read More →

August 28, 2020 Weekly Round Up

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Welcome to another agricultural law weekly round up.  Here are some of the recent ag law stories in the news. *USDA issues Final Rule modifying eligibility rules to qualify for farm program payments.  The USDA Farm Service Agency issued a Final Rule making changes to eligibility requirements for farm program payments.  One expected change per the 2018 Farm Bill allows first cousins, nieces, and nephews to qualify under the definition of “family member.”  A more unexpected change dealt with modifications of definitions of “active personal management” and “significant… Read More →

August 14, 2020 Weekly Round Up

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Happy Friday!  It has been a busy few weeks for me. I want to welcome those of you joining from the Beef Cattle Short Course presentation last week.  Here are some of the ag law stories in the news this week. *CFAP program expanded, deadline extended.  The USDA announced this week that there have been additional commodities added to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.  Most notably, all sheep will now qualify for payment, while previously it was only lambs under 2 years of age.  For sheep producers, the payments… Read More →