End of Life Documents

Posted on by

Unfortunately, I’ve received several questions recently from people needing to know what end of life documents they need to have in place if a loved one ends up ill or incapacitated.  These topics are never fun to think about, but they are extremely important for everyone to have in place.  While there is countless information about the various tools that can be used and options for someone to consider in determining how best to leave their estate, there are a couple of end of life documents that everyone… Read More →

August 27, 2021 Weekly Round Up

Posted on by

We’ve made it through another week!  I know many of you are new readers thanks to my surprisingly popular post on Monday about brand registrations.  If you missed that post, click here. Here is a look at some of the ag law stories recently in the news. * Appellate courts rule on three “ag gag” statutes.  I am going to have a more detailed blog post on this coming in the next couple of weeks, but there have been three decisions from federal appellate courts related to “ag… Read More →

TX Livestock & Horse Brands Expiring, Need To Renew by February

Posted on by

In Texas, if a livestock owner uses brands, earmarks, tattoos, or electronic devices to mark their cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, or horses, they must register the brands with the county clerk.  See Texas Agric. Code Sections 144.001; 144.041.  Brands must be registered at the county clerk’s office in any county where the livestock resides.  See Texas Agric. Code Section 144.041.  For example, if we have livestock both in Carson County and in Gray County, we will need to ensure that our brand is registered at both of those… Read More →

Questions from Tiffany’s Desk: What Signs Do I Need on My Farm/Ranch?

Posted on by

After my blog post about amendments to the Texas Farm Animal Liability Act, my email inbox was bombarded with questions about the various signs that landowners should consider having, what the differences are between the signs, and where to purchase the signs.  I thought it might be helpful to do a rundown on the common signs landowners should consider having from a liability protection perspective. Rural landowners should consider hanging two signs from a liability protection perspective: The Texas Farm Animal Liability Act sign and the Texas Agritourism… Read More →

August 13, 2021 Weekly Round Up

Posted on by
AgriLife Logo

It is time for another recap of some of the key agricultural law stories in the news over the past couple of weeks. * Court orders Maui County to obtain NPDES permit for injection wells on remand.  You all likely remember the US Supreme Court decision in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund, in which the US Supreme Court held that NPDES permits are required for both direct discharges into waters of the United States and for indirect discharges that are the functional equivalent of a direct… Read More →

Goliad County Cattle Seized for Cruel Treatment Returned, Case Dismissed

Posted on by

A recent situation involving the immediate seizure of cattle in Goliad County brought a lot of attention to the laws regarding when livestock can be seized when allegations of animal cruelty have been made. Background  When Mr. Franke, an 81-year old Goliad County cattle rancher died, he left 100 head of cattle and a portion of land to the Padillas, a couple who had worked for Mr. Franke caring for his livestock for years.  Mr. Franke’s children challenged Mr. Franke’s will, arguing they should be entitled to the… Read More →

July 30, 2021 Weekly Round Up

Posted on by

Happy Friday!  On Tuesday, I commented to a couple of friends it had been a quite couple of weeks on the agricultural law front.  Apparently, that opened the flood gates and we’ve got a full slate of news for today’s Weekly Round Up! * United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upholds ruling in Montana beef checkoff case.  The Ninth Circuit has upheld the decision of the District of Montana upholding the Montana Beef Checkoff.  Specifically, the court found that because of the MOUs between the… Read More →

2021 Texas Legislative Recap – Key Bills for Agriculture

Posted on by

As we do after every Texas Legislative Session, we’re here with a recap of the 87th Texas Legislature and the bills impacting agriculture.  As you will see, it was a busy session with a number of ag-related bills being passed.  We have linked each bill below to allow easy access to the full text. Also, as has become tradition, J Pete Laney joined me on the Ag Law in the Field Podcast to discuss these bills and give us his thoughts from someone involved on the ground with… Read More →

Owning Your Piece of Texas Online Course!

Posted on by

We’ve been working hard over the last year on a really exciting project.  Our Owning Your Piece of Texas: Key Laws Texas Landowners Need to Know Online Course is now available!   Given the popularity of our live Owning Your Piece of Texas courses, we wanted to have an online, on-demand option for rural landowners and agricultural producers interested in learning about various laws they may encounter.  Topics include water law, oil and gas law, eminent domain, special use tax valuation, renewable energy leases, fence law, landowner liability,… Read More →

July 16, 2021 Weekly Round Up

Posted on by

I’m not sure how this happened, but it is the middle of July and the summer is flying by.  There are plenty of agricultural law stories in the news. *President Biden addresses several agricultural issues in Executive Order Promoting Competition in the American Economy.  President Biden recently issued his Executive Order on Promoting the Competition in the American Economy.  [Read Fact Sheet here.]  This Executive Order addresses a number of issues, including several related to agriculture.  Namely, the Executive Order: (1) directs USDA to consider new rules under… Read More →