We’ve reached the last Friday in February.  Here are some of the biggest stories in the news this week.

*San Antonio Court of Appeals dismisses PETA lawsuit for lack of standing.  A recent San Antonio Court of Appeals decision in PETA v. Bandera Wranglers dismissed PETA’s challenge to a hog catching contest in Bandera, Texas.  Specifically, the court found that Texas did not recognize organizational standing and that the individual member who was also named as a plaintiff also failed to show standing as she offered only hypothetical concerns that were shared by a large class of citizens.  [Read opinion here.]  This opinion was issued on February 8, so the deadline for PETA to file an appeal has not yet passed.

*Ranchers Leasing Workshop team wins award.  Our Ranchers Leasing Workshop team (Dr. Greg Kaase, Emmy Kiphen, Lacrecia Garza, and me) recently won a Vice Chancellor’s Award for our work on the Ranchers Leasing Workshop programs over the past 6 years.  We were very honored for our work to be recognized.  To see our 2023 Ranchers Leasing Workshop dates, click here.

*States file suit against Syngenta and Corteva challenging loyalty programs. The attorneys general of 10 states, including Texas, have filed lawsuits alleging that Syngenta and Corteva’s loyalty programs violate the law.  The defendants have sought dismissal of the claims.  [Read article here.]

*Oklahoma wins lawsuit against poultry growers for river pollution.  Jesse Richardson wrote a great Southern Ag Today summarizing a recent ruling in a case pitting the State of Oklahoma against 11 poultry producers.  [Read article here.]

* Estate planning considerations for cryptocurrency owners.  As usual, my friend, Cari Rincker, is on the cusp of new technology.  She recently wrote an article offering three estate planning considerations for people who own cryptocurrency.  [Read article here.]

Upcoming Presentations

Next week, I’ll be on the road to kick off our 2023 Ranchers Leasing Workshops in Waco on February 27.  [More info here.]  The next day, I’ll be headed to Houston to speak at the 2023 HLSR Ranching and Wildlife Expo Educational Seminars on legal issues related to pesticide and herbicide application.  [More info here.]  After that, I’ll complete the trifecta for the week by discussing key ag law issues with the Online Master Marketer course on March 1.

For a complete list of my upcoming presentations, click here.