Permanent Increase to Estate Tax Lifetime Exemption

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Anytime I do an estate planning presentation, the topic of the federal estate tax is one on the minds of many in the audience.  In July, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act included an important provision permanently increasing an individual’s lifetime exemption to $15 million. Today, we are going to just hit the high notes of the estate tax and the change to the law included in the One Big Beautiful Bill.  For more information on the estate tax, click here for a podcast episode I did with… Read More →

Probate or Problems: Avoid Family Feuds with Estate Planning for Your Land

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I recently had the chance to join Mac and Wayne on their National Land Podcast to chat about the topic of estate planning.  We had a really fun conversation about things land owners should consider and mistakes we’ve seen in our careers.  You can listen here. If you are interested in farm and ranch estate planning in particular, we have lots of great resources!  Check out the Successful Succession video series I made in conjunction with Texas Corn Producers here.  We also have a playlist of our podcast… Read More →

September 12, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It has been another couple of busy weeks for agricultural law news around the country.  Let’s get caught up. *Federal judge dismisses challenge to Texas’ new foreign ownership law.  A federal judge in the Southern District of Texas has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of SB 17, the law recently passed by the Texas Legislature prohibiting citizens, businesses and governments from certain countries from owning real property in Texas.  The court held that the plaintiffs, three Chinese citizens, lacked standing to bring their claims as they are… Read More →

Federal Court Upholds Air Emissions Exemption for Livestock & Poultry Operations

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I was honored to co-author (along with my friend, Paul Goeringer) the 1,000th article published by Southern Ag Today. Southern Ag Today is a collaboration between 12 universities across the South, including Texas A&M.  Each weekday, Southern Ag Today publishes a short article related to agricultural economics in the South.  If you are not subscribed, you are missing out!  You can get subscribed here by clicking on the green “subscribe” box on the righthand side of the screen. For article number 1,000, we focused on an EPA rule… Read More →

2025 USDA NASS Cash Rent Rates Published

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Each year, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts a nationwide survey to gather data and compile a report showing average cash rental rates across the United States.  These results are based upon the survey responses from landowners and producers around the country.  Please note that all reported cash rent amounts are listed in a per acre/per year format. To view the database with the data for each state, click here.  To view the database with data for each county in the US, click here. Pastureland The statewide average for… Read More →

August 29, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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We are here with our last weekly round up for the month of August.  Things have not slowed down in the world of agricultural law. *EPA extends comment period for dicamba registrations.  The EPA has extended the comment period on the three over-the-top dicamba registrations to September 6, 2025.  [Read article here.  Comment here.] *Texas’ most infamous groundwater lawsuits article published.  The Texas Water Resources Institute published a great article outlining Texas’ most infamous groundwater lawsuits.  If you’re into Texas water law, you don’t want to miss this! … Read More →

Texas Haying Lease Checklist

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This checklist was co-authored with Taylor Harwood, Research Fellow with the National Agricultural Law Center. To download a printable PDF copy, click here. A haying lease is an agreement between landowners and tenants that protects both parties.   The following list contains the most common and relevant terms found in haying leases. This list is not exhaustive, and not every term included here is necessary in all leases. This checklist is not a substitute for legal advice. All parties—landowners and tenants—should consult with their own attorney when entering… Read More →

Federal Court Vacates and Remands Listing of Lesser Prairie Chicken Under Endangered Species Act

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The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas issued an order last week vacating the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) listing of the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act.    Factual Background   The lesser prairie-chicken is a bird historically found in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. The bird has faced both habitat loss and population decline since the 1960’s, and has found itself the subject of proposed Endangered Species Act protections.  In 2014, FWS listed the lesser prairie-chicken… Read More →

August 15, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It has been a big few weeks on the agricultural law front!  We’ve got updates on several cases we’ve been following and news on new lawsuits around the country. * Federal court vacates listing of lesser prairie-chicken.  The US District Court for the Western District of Texas had vacated the Endangered Species Act listing of the lesser prairie chicken.  I will have a full blog post explaining the ruling in detail on Monday.  [Read article here.] * Federal court upholds emissions reporting exception for farms.  The United States… Read More →

Off to College? Don’t Forget The Legal Documents Every Adult Needs!

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Back-to-school season is here, and I have several friends sending kids off to college for the first time.  (Shoutout to Addie at Oklahoma State, Hudson, McKinley, and Katie at Texas Tech, and Layni at Yale!)  Certainly, the college prep checklist is full of various items to purchase and consider.  Many college students and parents overlook one key item: Having legal documents in place. Every legal adult (meaning, anyone over the age of 18 years old) should have the following legal documents in place:  Power of attorney, medical power… Read More →