Category Archives: Water Law

August 1, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It is hard to believe we have made it to August!  Here is the rundown of some of the ag law stories in the news! EPA proposes approval of three over-the-top dicamba labels.  The EPA published a proposed re-registration of three over-the-top dicamba products for use in cotton and soybeans.  The products are: Engenia, Tavium, and KHNP0090 (formerly Xtendimax).  The proposed registrations will contain a number of additional restrictions, including a prohibition on aerial application, a 240-foot buffer, and additional mitigation steps.  Currently, public comment is open through… Read More →

July 3, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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Happy Independence Day to all!  We hope you all have an enjoyable holiday. We’re here to recap some of the biggest ag law stories in the news over the past few weeks.  Let’s get started! * Texas Supreme Court decides Cactus Water Services v. COG Operating.  The biggest news in Texas has to be the Court’s decision regarding produced water.  This case asked the question of whether produced water–water that is extracted with oil and gas production–belongs to the surface owner or the mineral lessee. The Court held that… Read More →

Texas Supreme Court: Produced Water Conveys to Mineral Lessee

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The Texas Supreme Court ruled last week in Cactus Water Services, LLC v. COG Operating, LLC. [Read Opinion here.]  This opinion is extremely important for all Texas landowners as it was the first time the Supreme Court weighed in on who owns produced water in Texas. Background This case involves 37,000 acres of land in Reeves County. Mineral Leases and Production COG Operating acquired four mineral leases from two surface owners for the land.  The leases granted COG the right to explore, produce, and keep “oil and gas” or… 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 →

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 →

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 →

December 20, 2024 Weekly Round Up

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We have reached our final Weekly Round Up of 2024.  We would like to take a moment to thank all of you who read the Texas Agriculture Law Blog.  We appreciate your support of our work and your interest in agricultural law. With that, let’s jump into the stories in the news the past couple of weeks. *”The path forward is not remotely clear” on aid package for agriculture.  Congress has gone back to the drawing board on a spending bill that would fund the government and include… Read More →

November 15, 2024 Weekly Round Up

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Lots of ag law news the last couple of weeks–let’s get you caught up! * Update on Cedar the goat.  You all may remember this prior blog post about a lawsuit between a 4-H member and a number of defendants after a dispute arose over the fate of a show goat at the county fair.  Last week, the County, sheriff’s office, and three officers agreed to settle the case for $300,000.  The lawsuit remains active against the Shasta District Fair, the Shasta Fair Association, and several officers of… Read More →

November 1, 2024 Weekly Round Up

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Welcome to November!  I am not sure how we’ve reached this point in the year, but here we are.  Let’s get caught up on the lasted agricultural law news.  * Texas sues federal government over listing freshwater mussels under Endangered Species Act.  The State of Texas has filed suit against the federal government challenging US Fish and Wildlife’s listing of several species of freshwater mussels as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.  Specifically, Texas alleges the federal government violated the Endangered Species Act, Administrative Procedures Act,… Read More →

October 18, 2024 Weekly Round Up

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To say it has been a busy couple of weeks in the world of agricultural law would be an understatement. Here are some of the biggest stories in the news as of late.  *McDonald’s files lawsuit against packers alleging price fixing.  McDonald’s has filed suit against the big four packers (Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef) alleging that these companies conspired to inflate beef prices.  McDonald’s Claims that from 2015 through the present time the packers have conspired to limit supply in order to inflate prices for beef…. Read More →