Farm & Ranch Business Planning
Texas Business Law Attorneys – Farm and Ranch Business Planning in Texas
There’s business planning and then there’s business planning for a farm or ranch company. Farm and ranch businesses have all the needs and share all the complexities of every other type of business in Texas. And then some.
There is another, deeper, more complex layer of business law when applied to the ranch and farm industry.
Just a few of the legal considerations unique to the farm and ranch industry:
- Water rights - Understanding water rights laws and regulations, obtaining permits, and negotiating surface water contracts.
- Land use - Compliance with zoning and land use regulations, subdivision requirements, and conservation easements.
- Property tax laws - Valuation protests, ag exemptions, wildlife management exemptions, appraisal review boards.
- Business entity selection - Forming the appropriate business entity such as a family limited partnership or LLC.
- Estate planning - Planning for orderly transfer to successors, minimizing estate taxes, and gifting mineral rights.
- Employment issues - Labor laws of agricultural workers including migrant workers.
- Regulatory matters - Complying with environmental regulations, CAFO rules, USDA, and FDA regulations.
- Contracts - Leasing pastureland, livestock care agreements, production contracts, mineral rights leases.
- Liability issues - Limiting liability for activities like hunting, livestock injuries, and trespassers.
- Water district disputes - Challenging irrigation districts over groundwater regulations.
- Property disputes - Boundary disputes, trespass issues, mineral rights disputes with neighbors.
Hopkins Centrich has long experience working with farm and ranch businesses throughout Texas. We are a smart, nimble law firm that is always only a text or phone call away from our clients. We will respond to your every need. Hopkins Centrich, The Woodlands’ premier business law firm, has been the business law firm for medium-sized companies and closely held businesses for decades.
Over the years we have been the law firm for a variety of privately-owned companies from tech to software developers, healthcare providers, architectural firms, real estate developers, retailers, restaurants, breweries, CPA firms, farms and ranches, and others. Hopkins Centrich has been the “go-to” legal advisor to start-up ventures and more mature closely held and family-owned businesses, and national enterprises for over two decades.
Business Law and Farms and Ranches
Here are just a few of the ways we work with our farm and ranching clients:
- Understanding the client's operations - we do everything we can to become fully familiar with the client's crops, livestock, properties, water rights, production practices, etc. Site visits are useful.
- Reviewing relevant regulations - we research applicable USDA, EPA, OSHA, FDA rules. Master rules on subsidies, imports, livestock care, confined animal feeding operations, etc.
- Analyzing business structure - we consider pros and cons of corporations, LLCs, partnerships and recommend optimal Texas entity choice.
- Handling land use issues - we guide clients on property, zoning, conservation easements and related land use regulations.
- Drafting key contracts - we prepare livestock care agreements, leases, surface water contracts, mineral rights contracts, hunting leases, etc.
- Overseeing employment law compliance - we help ensure wage, migrant worker, discrimination, and safety rules are followed.
- Advising on estate planning - we work hard to facilitate orderly, tax-efficient transfer of ranch assets to successors.
- Handling disputes - we represent our clients in boundary disputes, water rights litigation, USDA appeals, and other contested matters.
- Monitoring legislative changes - we keep clients updated on new Texas statutes and regulations impacting ag operations.
- Providing general counsel services - we serve as knowledgeable advisors across the spectrum of legal issues faced by ranching and farming enterprises.
Get started with a consultation today: call (254) 249-5436 or contact us online.
Relationships Built On Trust
See the Difference Our Team Makes for Business Owners Like You
-
“Wonderful company to work with as this was our experience with their representation. They were able to get everything resolved in a timely manner.”- Former Client
-
“Sharp and trustworthy. Kirby Hopkins is someone I’d take a bullet for knowing that he’s the one I’d trust most to bring the assailant to justice.”- Greg N.
-
“Professional, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. Communication was clear and consistent, and they made me feel supported at every step.”- Michael D.
-
“They helped us tremendously in a couple of issues. They have really been attentive with us and supportive. We are extremely happy with their work and the results.”- Ale P.
-
“Hopkins Centrich provided prompt, tailored advice and insightfully explained convoluted terminology in clear terms that safeguarded my interests amid intricate business disputes.”- Sheila N.
-
“The attorneys at Hopkins Centrich provided dedicated guidance and meticulous attention to detail. They incorporated clauses aligned to my specific business needs.”- Valentino M.
-
“Joe's personable approach made us confident in his abilities. His intelligence is evident in the way he handles complex legal issues, always thinking steps ahead.”- Former Client
-
“I have known Kirby Hopkins for 30+ years and I trust him with my life. He is honest, ethical, and always a trusted advisor to ensure his clients are well represented!”- Anu P.
-
“Stephen and his team got us the justice we deserved, and we couldn't be happier. We really appreciate all their hard work, and could not have done it without them!”- Logan B.
Thoughtful Strategy. Exceptional Results.
-
AV Preeminent® Peer-Rated Attorneys
The AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell is the highest peer recognition in the legal profession — awarded only to attorneys whom fellow lawyers rank at the top for legal ability and ethical standards. It is a verdict from the legal community itself.
-
Big-Firm Backgrounds, Boutique Attention
Our attorneys trained and practiced at major firms before building something better. That means federal court experience, high-stakes commercial disputes, and UT Law credentials — delivered without the overhead, billing inefficiencies, or revolving associates who don't know your file.
-
From Startup to Sale — and Every Dispute in Between
We have helped clients choose the right entity structure on day one and negotiate their exit decades later. Most firms are good at one phase of business life. We are built to be the firm you keep for all of them — already knowing your history when the next issue arrives.
-
NIL Counsel for Texas Athletes
Hopkins Centrich offers dedicated name, image, and likeness legal services to athletes navigating endorsement deals, licensing agreements, and brand partnerships. In a state with the college athletic footprint of Texas, it's counsel very few firms are positioned to provide well.
We Know Texas Agriculture
Hopkins Centrich has worked with farm and ranch businesses throughout Texas for decades. We understand that agricultural operations involve a layer of legal complexity that most business law firms are simply not equipped to handle — water rights, ag exemptions, grazing leases, mineral rights, USDA compliance, and succession planning that must account for land, livestock, and family dynamics simultaneously. We bring the same big-firm depth to farm and ranch clients that we bring to every business we serve, without the overhead or the impersonal service.
Call (254) 249-5436 or contact us online.
