We’re back again with summaries of some of the ag law stories in the news over the past two weeks.

Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

*EPA Report Finds Numerous Risks Related to Dicamba.  The EPA released a draft ecological risk assessment on Wednesday finding that dicamba potentially adversely affects birds, mammals, bees, freshwater fish, aquatic vascular plants, and (of primary concern) non-target terrestrial plants.  The report stated the EPA found no evidence that the new restrictions implemented in 2020 have helped reduce the number of drift complaints. The report indicated that the EPA was investigating “all regulatory options” for addressing these incidents, and was reviewing whether over the top dicamba can be used in a manner not imposing unreasonable risks. [Read assessment here and article here.]

*Summary of Inflation Reduction Act.  This week, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.  This bill has a number of agricultural related provisions.  My friend, Kristine Tidgren, published a summary of the Act’s key provisions on the CALT Ag Docket Blog.  [Read summary here.]

*Mental Health Series.  Ron Smith at Southwest Farm Press recently published a four-part series focused on agriculture and mental health.  Ron based his articles on this podcast episode where I interviewed Shannon Ferrell in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.  [Read Ron’s Mental Health Series here.]

*Estate Planning Articles.  A couple of articles caught my attention on the estate planning front as being both important and practical. My friend Cari Rincker recently addressed some common myths about estate planning.  [Read article here.]  Ruder Ware posted an article offering tips on estate planning for young farmers.  [Read article here.]

*Living a “Get To” Life.  I love being a part of the Our Rural Roots team over at DTN Progressive Farmer. It’s a fun outlet to get to write about life instead of just the law.  I recently wrote a column about a new philosophy I’m trying to live by.  [Read column here.]

Upcoming Presentations

Next week, I’ll be in Brenham for a multi-county landowner program on Thursday and our direct beef sales program on Friday.  We’re over capacity for the beef sales program, but stay tuned for additional 2023 program dates to be announced in the coming months.

Don’t forget that our final Owning Your Piece of Texas: Key Laws Texas Landowners Need to Know program for 2022 will be September 12 in Fredericksburg.  The next day, on September 13, we will host our final Ranchers Leasing Workshop for the year.