Category Archives: Year in Review

A Look Forward: Ag Law in 2017

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It appears that 2017 could be an important year for a number of agricultural law issues.  From the Clean Water Act, to “Ag Gag” legislation, to the Endangered Species Act, there are a number of pending cases that could have major impacts on the agricultural industry in the coming year.  Here is a brief look at four of the biggest cases to watch this year. WOTUS lawsuit and potential Congressional action. Everyone may be tired of talking about the new rule promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency and… Read More →

2016 Ag Law Year in Review: State Level

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Happy New Year!  We are back with Part II in our series looking back at the biggest agricultural law issues of 2016.  If you missed Part I, which focused on federal issues, click here.  Today, we will be focused on Texas-specific issues. *Jury issues $2.4 million verdict in Bragg v. Edwards Aquifer Authority.  The seemingly unending saga of the Bragg case came to an end in 2016.  On remand, a Medina County jury issued a judgement in the amount of $2.5 million (exclusive of interest) in favor of the Braggs as… Read More →

2016 Ag Law Year In Review: Federal Level

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2016 was quite a year for agricultural law.  From the FAA passing UAS regulations to a major water law decision by the Texas Supreme Court to Congress passing a GMO labeling bill, a lot has happened in the past 12 months.  We will take a look at the highlights in two parts, focusing today on federal issues and considering Texas issues in our next blog post. *WOTUS joint resolution vetoed, stay in place during litigation.  The controversy surrounding the Clean Water Act definition of “Waters of the United… Read More →

Texas Agriculture Law Year in Review (Part II): Oil

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Yesterday, we looked at some of the major events in Texas agricultural law for 2015 related to water.  Today, we will look at the major agricultural law events having to do with oil and gas. * Texas Legislature prohibits local oil and gas production bans in most circumstances.  After Denton residents passed a bill prohibiting fracking in city limits, the Texas Legislature responded with House Bill 40.  The Bill, which was passed and signed by Governor Abbott, intends to pre-empt any local efforts to regulate oil and gas production,… Read More →

Texas Agriculture Law Year in Review (Part I): Water

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In addition to the national agriculture law happenings in 2015 (which we recapped in last weeks’ blog posts), this has been a busy year for agricultural law in Texas as well.  Conveniently, the key events can be separated into two categories:  Oil and Water.  Here are the water-related highlights. * Bragg takings decision will stand.  In May, the Texas Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in Bragg v. Edwards Aquifer Authority, a groundbreaking groundwater law case in Texas.  This means that the opinion of the San Antonio Court of Appeals remains… Read More →

2015 National Agriculture Law Year in Review (Part II)

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Today we continue in our review of national agricultural law developments in 2015.  If you missed Part I of this series, click here. EPA Revokes Approval for Suloxaflor and Enlist Duo.  Just a few weeks ago, the EPA announced it would revoke approval for suloxaflor (active ingredient in Transform) and withdraw its approval for the Enlist Duo.  Both were a result of litigation filed by environmental groups challenging the approval of these products.  Dow Chemical has stated it is confident that the EPA’s concerns can be addressed quickly… Read More →

2015 National Agriculture Law Year in Review (Part I)

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As 2015 draws to a close, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at the top agricultural law developments this year.  First, we will take a couple of posts to look at the national year in review, followed up by a look at the biggest Texas-specific happenings next week. From “Waters of the United States” to drones to GMOs to the United States Supreme Court, 2015 has been a busy year for agricultural law.  Here are the highlights. “Waters of the United States” regulation… Read More →

Agriculutral Law: What To Watch in 2015

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As everyone is recovering from the New Year celebrations and getting back to the grindstone, I thought it would be fun to highlight a few of the major ag law issues to watch in 2015. Water Disputes Unfortunately, this issue will likely top the list every year for the near future.  Across the country we are seeing more and more water-related disputes.  In addition to the issues outlined in my 2014 Year in Review post, there are two additional issues I think will be in the forefront this year. Water… Read More →

2014 Ag Law Year in Review

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Recently, I wrote an article for Progressive Cattleman outlining the major ag law happenings during 2014.  The list includes water disputes, WTO rulings, GMO labeling laws, horse slaughter, the Endangered Species Act, the Missouri Right to Farm Amendment, and agricultural protection (aka “ag gag”) laws.  To read my article, click here. What ag law stories did you think were some of  the most important and interesting this year?

December 19, 2014 Weekly Round Up

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This week I spoke to a full house at the Swisher County Ag Day in Tulia about Texas Water Law and the major ag law issues to watch in 2015.  Thanks to County Extension Agent John Villalba for the invitation and opportunity to speak.  To those of you joining the blog from Swisher County, welcome!  This is our last weekly round up post of the year!  I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. * 5th Circuit Refuses to Reconsider Aransas Project v. Shaw.  Earlier this week, the 5th Circuit… Read More →