Texas Surviving Spouse Rights in Homestead Property

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How does Texas law treat a surviving spouse with regard to the homestead?  The Corpus Christi Court of Appeals addressed this issue in Murray v. Robinson. Background Christopher Murray and his wife, Florentina, owned 78 acres of land in Travis County, which they designated as their homestead.  Florentina died intestate (without a will) in 1997.  Christopher continued to live on the property and claimed it as his homestead.  The next year, Florentina’s only child from a prior marriage, Veronica Robinson, filed an affidavit of heirship asserting an interest in… Read More →

Court Considers Ranch Ownership Dispute Between Family Members

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In Hollis v. Hollis, the Texarkana Court of Appeals considered the question of who owned a ranch when mother and son disagreed. Background  This lawsuit involves an ownership dispute over a 304-acre ranch (“the Ranch”) in Titus County.  The Ranch was purchased in 1978 by Wayford and Reba Hollis, husband and wife.  According to their son, Robert, there was an oral agreement between Wayford and Robert that Wayford would purchase the Ranch, and Robert would stock it with his cattle, manage the operations, and repay Wayford with all proceeds from the cattle sales. Robert claimed their agreement… Read More →

Texas Supreme Court Rules on Right to Sue State to Repurchase Land Taken Through Eminent Domain

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The Texas Supreme Court recently issued an important decision in State of Texas v. JRJ Pusok Holdings, LLC, answering the question of whether a landowner may sue the State to repurchase property when a portion of the condemned property is no longer necessary for public use.    Background  Three landowners owned property in Tomball, Texas.  In October 2013, the State notified the landowners that it intended to acquire their property for a highway project.  As required by law, the State provided the landowners with a monetary offer of $496,120, the Landowner Bill of Rights, and a copy of the Texas Property Code Chapter 21,… Read More →

July Monthly Round Up

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July 2026 may be the most active month I remember when it comes to agricultural law news.  We have chosen some of the most important stories to include below. FTC and John Deere reach settlement in right to repair antitrust lawsuit. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), along with five states (AZ, IL, MI, MN, WI), have agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit against John Deere.  The settlement will require John Deere to provide farmers and independent repair shops with the same equipment repair resources and software provided to… Read More →

Podcast Appearance – Beyond the Fence Line: Building a Plan for the Future

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I was honored to be a guest on the Texas Agricultural Land Trusts’ podcast, Beyond the Fence Line.  I got to have a great conversation with TALT CEO, Chad Ellis, about estate and succession planning, legacies, myths that are out there on the topics and more. You can listen to our full conversation here. For those of you interested in more info on estate and succession planning, this is also a common topic on my own podcast! Check out the playlist of all of our Ag Law in… Read More →

New Dates Announced for Owning Your Piece of Texas and Ranchers Leasing Workshop

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Please note that the dates for our upcoming Owning Your Piece of Texas and Ranchers Leasing Workshop programs have changed. If you are planning to attend either event, be sure to update your calendar with the new dates below.

Surviving the Farm Economy Downturn

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The last few years have been difficult for many agricultural producers.  The combination of high input costs and low crop prices for many commodities have been a stark reality for many producers across the country.  Data shows that the number of farm bankruptcies across the South are increasing.   Recently, the Southern Extension Economics Committee published a paper called Surviving the Farm Economy Downturn: 2026 Update.  This paper features 24 articles providing information for landowners and agricultural producers to help them make decisions in the current economic climate.  From… Read More →

Texas Supreme Court Opinion Addresses Scope of Easement by Estoppel

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The Texas Supreme Court recently issued an important opinion in Boerschig v. Rio Grande Electric Cooperative with regard to implied electrical line easements and the scope thereof.  Background  In 1945, ranchers in Southwest Texas formed a non-profit Rio Grande Electric Cooperative (RGEC) to provide electricity to Co-op members in rural areas.  RGEC has condemnation authority and now serves eighteen counties in Texas and two counties in New Mexico.    In 1947, RGEC acquired a document titled “Right of Way Easement” that gave an unspecified corporation the right to place, construct, operate, repair, maintain, relocate, and replace an… Read More →

June Monthly Round Up

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Happy Monday!  We hope everyone is having a great summer.  While many folks are taking time off and vacation, that has not been the case for agricultural law news around the country.  Let’s look at some of the biggest stories for the month of June. * United States Supreme Court issues ruling in Monsanto v. Durnell finding state law labeling claims pre-empted.  Last week, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Durnell v. Monsanto.  You read about this case previously here.  The Court ruled that Mr…. Read More →

US Supreme Court: Failure-to-Warn Claims Preempted by FIFRA

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The United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Monsanto v. Durnell, holding state law failure-to-warn claims were preempted by federal law.  [Read Opinion here.]  Justice Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion.  Justice Thomas wrote a concurring opinion, and Justice Jackson authored a dissent in which Justice Gorsuch joined.  Quick Summary  I know some of you are not going to read the lengthy explanation included below.  Here is the quick summary of the decision:  Mr. Durnell sued Monsanto in state court claiming failure-to-warn because Roundup does not contain a cancer warning.  Monsanto argued these claims were preempted by federal law. … Read More →