Texas Agriculture Law
We have officially published our 1,000th blog post! When I started writing the Texas Agriculture Law Blog ten and a half years ago, I never dreamed we would still be going strong with so many posts, readers, and sponsors. It is one of my very favorite projects I get to do. To celebrate our 1,000th post and to say “thank you” to our readers, we are going to be doing four giveaways! Several of our friends who have helped as speakers at various programs have helped us source… Read More →
Last week, the United States Supreme Court heard oral argument in Devillier v. Texas, a lawsuit involving rural landowners who claim the State of Texas took their private property by building a highway in a manner that caused flooding on their adjacent lands. [Read article here.] Background A group of Texas farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners filed an inverse condemnation action against the State of Texas claiming that the Texas Department of Transportation’s (DOT) widening of I-10 intentionally caused widespread flooding on their property resulting in a taking for… Read More →
It has been a very busy couple of weeks for agricultural law around the country. Here are some of the biggest stories in the news. *Texas landowners argue takings case at United States Supreme Court. This week, the United States Supreme Court heard oral argument in Devillier v. Texas. The lawsuit involves claims by rural landowners who claim Texas’ expansion of I-10 east of Houston resulted in flooding that constitutes a taking of their private property for which they are entitled to just compensation. At issue in the case… Read More →
***UPDATE*** On December 3, 2024, a federal judge in Texas issued a nationwide preliminary injunction in Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. v. Garland halting the enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act and staying the beneficial ownership reporting deadline. [Read Order here.] However, on December 23, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a stay of that injunction pending appeal. That means that the Corporate Transparency Act reporting requirements are in effect. FinCEN announced that it will briefly extend the deadlines given the short… Read More →
Hello and Happy New Year! We’re back with our first Ag Law Weekly Round Up of 2024. Here are some of the biggest ag law stories in the news over the past few weeks. *State of Texas responds in Tofurkey lawsuit challenging meat labeling law. You may recall our Thanksgiving blog post highlighted a lawsuit challenging Texas’ new labeling law requiring analogue, plant based, and cell-cultured meat to be labeled in the Lone Star State. The State of Texas has now filed a Motion to Dismiss in that… Read More →
Every year, it is fun to look back and see which blog posts and podcast episodes were the most popular. Top 5 Texas Agriculture Law Posts This blog turned 10 years old in June of 2023, and it remains one of my favorite projects. I love the chance to write about legal issues, cases, and news that impact rural landowners and agricultural producers. Thank you all for reading! Here are the most read blog posts of 2023: Neighbor-to-Neighbor Farm Sale Leads to Lawsuits. This blog post from June… Read More →
Last week, we discussed what a busy year it had been nationally for agricultural law. To learn more, read here or listen here. This week, we are shifting our focus closer to home and looking at the biggest agricultural law issues in Texas this year. Ownership of Produced Water The question of who owns produced water in Texas is extremely important and will have major implications for landowners and oil and gas operators across the state. At issue is ownership of “produced water,” the water that comes out… Read More →
Here we are with our final Weekly Round Up of the year. Thank you so much for reading! *Defendants file counterclaims in show goat lawsuit. One of our most popular posts of the year was discussing a lawsuit involving a show goat in California. [Read post here.] Recently, two defendants have filed a countersuit against the goat owners. [Read Answer & Counterclaim here. Specifically, the CEO and the Superintendent of the livestock show filed five counter claims. Essentially, they allege that Jessica (the mother of the goat exhibitor)… Read More →
Texas producers who have a valid agricultural and timber registration number for sales tax exemptions must renew those numbers by December 31, 2023. Texas farmers, ranchers, and timber producers are exempt from paying sales taxes on products used in the course of their agricultural or timber production. Qualifying activities include farming, ranching, fiber production, timber production (including contract logging), operating feedlots or fish farms, bee keeping, custom harvesting, crop dusting, growing plants for commercial nurseries, veterinary businesses making farm or ranch calls, FFA or 4-H projects, and those… Read More →
