Tag Archives: Ranching

Painful history underpins ranchers’ opposition to the estate tax
By Caroline Halter The Republican tax plan seeks to eliminate the estate tax, a 40% tax on the value of land and other inheritances over $5.49 million. The Tax Policy Center estimates the estate tax will affect fewer than 100 farms … Continue reading

Texas Families Find Financial Stability in Nature-related Tourism
West Texas ranchers are broadening their income streams to keep their cattle operations afloat.

Activists Fear Archeological Site Will Be Damaged by Pipeline
Opponents of the Trans-Pecos Pipeline say they’ve identified a historic archeological site located within the pipeline’s path that they fear could soon be damaged by construction. In an emailed press release, the Big Bend Conservation Alliance (BBCA) said a team of … Continue reading

Judge Throws Out Landowner’s Lawsuit Against Pipeline Company
A federal judge has shot down a Presidio County landowner’s lawsuit against the Trans-Pecos Pipeline. For more than a year now, some landowners and residents in the Big Bend region have been speaking out against Dallas-based Energy Transfer’s natural gas … Continue reading

Texas To Mexico Pipeline: Unfinished Business In The Big Bend
MARFA, Texas —Six landowners in west Texas have won a series of awards totaling in the millions of dollars against a company building a controversial natural gas pipeline. A seventh case went against a landowner. The landowners are part of a group … Continue reading

Landowners Win Six Cases Over Compensation Claims Against Pipeline Company
A special commission appointed by District Judge Roy Ferguson to settle compensation claims in eminent domain lawsuits tied to the Trans-Pecos Pipeline has sided with landowners and against the pipeline company – Energy Transfer – in six of seven cases. … Continue reading

After Trespass Allegations, Spriggs Lets Pipeline Company Continue Surveys
The Presidio County rancher who claimed pipeline surveyors working for Energy Transfer trespassed on his property tells Marfa Public Radio he has now signed a permission form giving surveyors access to his land. The planned Trans-Pecos Pipeline route runs through … Continue reading

West Texas Rancher Says Pipeline Company Surveyors Trespassed
A West Texas rancher says land surveyors came onto his property without permission while planning a route for a natural gas pipeline. The pipeline company says it was an accident. Presidio County rancher James Spriggs of the Spriggs Ranch recently … Continue reading

Cutting Horse Competition Brings Together Ranch Hands to Test Skills
When Richard Simms, a certified National Cutting Horse Association judge from Brenham, Texas, sits down to grade riders on horseback, he always fills in a box that reads “amount of courage.” “I want to see them go to the wall … Continue reading