We have made it to another Friday and the start of summer for many!  There are a number of important agricultural law stories in the news. Photo by Darren Halstead * House Committee on Agriculture releases Farm Bill Draft.  The House Committee on Agriculture, led by Chairman GT Thompson released its draft of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 last week.  To learn more about what it included in the bill, click here. * USDA announces electronic identification rule for cattle and bison; effective November 5, 2024.  The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspec ..read more

From property taxes to landowner liability, cell-cultured meat labeling to Right to Farm, the 2023 Texas Legislative Session included a number of new laws important for rural Texas landowners and agricultural producers. I recently wrote a paper explaining each of these laws for the State Bar of Texas John Huffaker Agricultural Law Continuing Legal Education course.  To read the paper, click here. Key bills of which Texas landowners and agricultural producers should be aware include: Texas Right to Farm statute amendments (HB 1750, HB 2308, HB 2947) – Modified the time in operation requ ..read more

Over the past few months, I have done a number of recorded presentations and interviews.  We have collected those in one place for you to watch and/or listen below. Farm & Ranch Estate Planning Presentation – Tarrant County Women in Agriculture A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to talk farm and ranch estate planning basics with at a program for women hosted by Tarrant County AgriLife Extension.  To watch, click here. If you are interested in a more in-depth discussion of these same topics, check out a program I did for Texas Corn Producers here. National Land Podcas ..read more

Happy May!  We are back with a number of ag law stories in the news over the past couple of weeks. Photo by Marcus Neto *Notices of Appraised value being sent to Texas landowners.  County Appraisal Districts around the state are sending out Notices of Appraised Value to landowners.  Be sure that you carefully review your Notice and timely file any protest you may have.  It is critical the property owners understand that while their property tax bill will not arrive until October, any protest regarding the taxable value of property must be filed now.  We recorded a s ..read more

A group of Texas farmers recently filed suit against the United States Department of Agriculture claiming that the USDA improperly discriminated against them in administering various disaster and pandemic relief programs. Plaintiffs in Strickland v. USDA challenge the USDA’s disparate treatment for certain producers based upon race and sex. The Plaintiffs assert that the USDA violated both the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution and the Administrative Procedures Act. Photo by Luke Thornton Background The Plaintiffs note that over the past four years, Congress appropriat ..read more

We’re back with another Friday Weekly Round Up.  Let’s get caught up on some of the biggest stories in the news. Photo by Erdem GÖRAL *Texas farmers sue USDA for alleged discrimination.  Several Texas farmers have filed suit against the USDA claiming discrimination for how payments were calculated for certain programs. I wrote an article about the lawsuit for Southern Ag Today here.  On Monday, I will have a more detailed summary posted on the Texas Agriculture Law Blog as well. * USDA updates HPAI outbreak in dairy cattle status.  The USDA APHIS announced that, as of Ap ..read more

The United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Devillier v. Texas, allowing Texas landowners’ takings claims to proceed against the State of Texas under an amended complaint.  [Read Opinion here.] Image by Zach Dulli  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 which they were due just compensation. The Plaintiffs ..read more

Are you interested in agricultural law?  Do you want to hear from some of the best agricultural lawyers in the country?  We’ve got just the podcast for you!  The Ag Law in the Field Podcast releases bi-weekly and features a wide variety of topics impacting agriculture.  You can find us on all of your favorite podcast apps, just search for Ag Law in the Field or click here for our website. If you are not familiar with Ag Law in the Field or with podcasts in general, don’t panic.  This is simply another resource we have available for you to learn more about agricultural ..read more

The agricultural news continues to roll in from across the country. *Texas farmers file discrimination lawsuit against USDA.  Several Texas farmers have filed suit in federal court against the USDA claiming that in administering payment programs, the USDA illegally discriminated on the basis of race and sex.  Specifically, the farmers argue that the USDA improperly used different payment calculation methods for “socially disadvantaged” farmers (American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Asians, Asian-Americans, blacks/African-Americans, Hispanics, Hispanic-Americans, Native Hawaiians or oth ..read more

The Austin Court of Appeals recently considered, Adcock v. Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., a lawsuit involving nuisance and trespass claims against a Texas feed mill filed by a neighboring landowner. Photo by James Baltz  Background Cal-Maine operates a chicken-feed mill.  Adcock is a neighboring property owner. In April 2019, Adcock sued Cal-Maine for nuisance and trespass complaining of the company’s “torment” of him and other residents since it acquired the mill from a prior owner 15 years ago.  He complains of Cal-Maine’s alleged release of “putrid odor of animal waste and ch ..read more