Lawsuit Challenges Texas Animal Health Commission Authority over White-Tailed Deer

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The Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston recently ruled on a case regarding the jurisdiction of the Texas Animal Health Commission and the regulation of white-tailed deer to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease.  [Read Opinion here.] Background RW Trophy Ranch (“RW”) is a deer breeding ranch in northeast Texas. It consists of a 68-acre deer breeding facility surrounded by a 1,500 acre ranch.  RW was certified under the Texas Animal Health Commission’s Texas Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program (“Program”).   The goal of the program is… Read More →

February 2, 2024 Weekly Round Up

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February is coming in hot on the agricultural law front!  We have a number of updates on important issues from around the country. *Oral argument set at SCOTUS for Texas v. New Mexico. The United States Supreme Court will hear arguments in Texas v. New Mexico, a water law case involving the Rio Grande on March 20.  You may recall from prior blog posts that Texas sued New Mexico claiming New Mexico failed to honor the spirit of a 1938 compact providing for certain deliveries of water on the Rio… Read More →

1,000th Blog Post Giveaways!

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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 →

US Supreme Court Considers Texas Takings Case

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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 →

January 19, 2024 Weekly Round Up

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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 →

Reporting Required for Entities Under Corporate Transparency Act

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A new federal reporting requirement for most small business entities will impact a number of farms, ranches, and agricultural businesses who have organized as a business entity such as an LLC, corporation, or limited partnership.  We’ve got the answers to your questions below! Why? The Corporate Transparency Act is a law enacted to prevent money laundering, corrupt financial transactions, and financial terrorism.  As part of that effort, the Act requires the United States Department of Treasury’s Federal Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to maintain a national database of beneficial… Read More →

January 5, 2024 Weekly Round Up

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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 →

Most Popular Blog Posts & Podcast Episodes of 2023

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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 →

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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2023 Ag Law Year in Review – Texas

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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 →