Texas Agriculture Law
I was recently a guest on the Working Ranch Radio Show with Justin Mills. We had a really good, practical conversation about eminent domain. Where does eminent domain authority come from? How does the process work? What do landowners need to keep in mind? Justin asked great questions, and I think our conversation will be useful to landowners across the country! Listen HERE.
Question: I must have received this question ten times in the last month via phone calls and emails from all across the state. Can a Texas city enforce a ban or a limit on the number of chickens residents are allowed to have at their residence? Answer: We do not know. There has not been a court that has answered this question yet. The answer will depend on how a court interprets the Right to Farm Statute definitions and the particular factual situation at issue. Let’s walk through… Read More →
Farm animal confinement statutes such as California’s Proposition 12, have been popular in news stories, the legislative branch, and the judiciary around the country. In recent months, there has been significant developments that necessitate an update on where things currently stand with farm animal confinement statutes. For some background and history on this issue and a discussion of National Pork Producers Council v. Ross, the United States Supreme Court decision involving Proposition 12, click here to read my Congressional Testimony from July 2025. Farm Bill 2.0 Language The United… Read More →
We are back with a number of important agricultural law issues in the news for the month of April! *John Deere agrees to $99 million settlement in right-to-repair class action lawsuit. John Deere has agreed to pay $99 million to settle a class action lawsuit claiming that Deere made crucial repair tools and software updates unavailable to independent repair shops and farmers. Those included in the class are individuals or entities who purchased repair services for John Deere large agricultural equipment from January 2018 until the settlement… Read More →
I recently co-authored an article for Southern Ag Today with my friend and colleague, Jesse Richardson, that raised an important question about signage required under state landowner liability statutes. Agritourism Act Rulings in Virginia and Washington In the Southern Ag Today article, we focused on two court decisions applying their state’s Agritourism Act. In Virginia, a trial court held that in order for the Virginia Agritourism Activity Act to apply, the signage should have been individually posted at each different agritourism activity. Posting one sign at the entrance… Read More →
Each year, the Texas Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers publishes a Rural Land Value Trends report. This is one of the best documents available for those interested in the sales value and lease value of rural lands in Texas. It is also the only publication of which I am aware that provides information on the value of hunting leases. The 2025 report was just released last week. Click here to download. The report begins with an article by Dr. Lynn Krebs looking… Read More →
The Texas A&M Agricultural Economics Extension group recently published the 2026 Custom Rates Survey. This resource offers average prices across Texas for various services such as tractor rental, planting and tillage operations, fertilizing, chemical application, harvesting, land improvement operations, fence building, livestock work and hauling, and predator management. The report is based on producer, custom service provider, and landowner survey responses that were solicited last fall. Responses are reported both as a statewide number and broken down into four regions. To view the Custom Rates Survey, click here.
A recent Hill Country easement dispute was considered by the San Antonio Court of Appeals in Luckenbach Ranch, LLC v. Bowling. [Read Opinion here.] Background Wendy Williams owned 62-acres of land in Fredericksburg, TX. Wendy offered to sell her brother, Troy, and sister-in-law, Kim, 15.5 acres of her land. Kim, who was a realtor, prepared a purchase agreement for the 15.5 acres that Wendy signed. The agreement was amended to account for renumbering of the address of the parcel Troy and Kim would purchase and that which Wendy would… Read More →
March has been another busy month for agricultural law news around the country. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories. * House Ag Committee passes Farm Bill 2.0. Earlier this month, the United States House Committee on Agriculture passed the “Farm Bill 2.0,” formally titled the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. The bill will now proceed to the full House. The vote was 34-17 with 7 Democrats voting with 27 Republicans on the Committee. Key provisions of the bill relate to prohibiting… Read More →
The Texas Supreme Court recently decided an interesting contract case involving an agreement to supply water for fracking in Equinor Energy v. Lindale Pipeline. [Read Opinion here.] Background Fracking is a common method of oil and gas production in the United States. It involves pumping water down a well into a formation under high pressure, causing the formation to crack open and the oil or gas to flow into the wellbore. Fracking requires large amounts of water, and companies often contract with water suppliers to transport water to well… Read More →
