Corporate Farming & Land Ownership Laws

 

Overview

Several states regulate or restrict certain ownership interests and investments in agricultural land that is located within the boundaries of their state. In general, states that limit farmland ownership have enacted a corporate farming law or foreign ownership law, or both. There is some overlap between corporate farming laws and foreign ownership laws. For example, like corporate farming laws, some foreign ownership laws restrict certain corporations from acquiring, purchasing, or otherwise obtaining land that is used or usable for agricultural production. However, corporate farming laws restrict the power of foreign and/or domestic corporations from engaging in farming or agriculture. Read the full overview.

Note: Recently added resources are posted at the top of the applicable sections.

Major Statutes

Federal Laws

Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA), 7 U.S.C. §§ 3501 through 3508
Real Estate Investment Trusts, 26 U.S.C. §§ 856 through 859
Alien Owners of Land, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1501 through 1508
Authority to Review Certain Mergers, Acquisitions, and Takeovers, 50 U.S.C. § 4565

Corporate Farming

Arkansas, Ark. Code Ann. § 18-11-110
Arkansas, Ark. Code Ann. §§ 18-11-801 through 18-11-805
Florida, Fla. Stat. Ann. §§ 692.201 through 692.205
Georgia, Ga. Code Ann. § 2-1-7
Idaho, Idaho Code Ann. § 55-103
Indiana, Indiana Code Ann. §§ 32-22-3-0.5 through 32-22-3-6.5
Iowa, Iowa Code §§ 9H.1 through 9H.5A
Iowa, Iowa Code §§ 10.1 through 10.14
Iowa, Iowa Code §§ 10D.1 through 10D.3
Iowa, Iowa Code §§ 202B.101 through 202B.402
Kansas, Kan. Stat. Ann. § 17-5904
Louisiana, La. Stat. Ann. §§ 3:3613 through 3:3619
Louisiana, La. Stat. Ann. § 9:2717.1
Minnesota, Minn. Stat. § 500.24
Mississippi, Miss. Code Ann. §§ 89-27-1 through 89-27-11
Missouri, Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 350.010 through 350.040
Montana, Mont. Code Ann. § 35-30-103
Nebraska, Neb. Const. Art. XII, § 8
Nebraska, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 76-3701 through 76-3717
North Dakota, N.D. Cent. Code §§ 10-06.1-01 through 10-06.1-27
Ohio, Ohio Rev. Stat. § 5301.256
Oklahoma, Const. Art. XXII, § 2
Oklahoma, Okla. Stat. tit. 18, §§ 951 through 956
Oklahoma, Okla. Stat. tit. 60, §§ 121 through 125
South Dakota, S.D. Codified Laws §§ 47-9A-1 through 47-9A-23
Tennessee, Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 66-2-301 through 66-2-308
Utah, Utah Code Ann. §§ 63L-13-101 through 63L-13-203
Virginia, Va. Code Ann. §§ 55.1-507 through 55.1-508
Wisconsin, Wis. Stat. § 182.001

Foreign Ownership

Alabama, Ala. Code § 35-1-1.1
Arkansas, Ark. Code Ann. § 18-11-110
Arkansas, Ark. Code Ann. §§ 18-11-801 through 18-11-805
Florida, Fla. Stat. Ann. §§ 692.201 through 692.205
Georgia, Ga. Code Ann. § 2-1-7
Idaho, Idaho Code Ann. § 55-103
Indiana, Ind. Code Ann. §§ 32-22-3-0.5 through 32-22-3-6.5
Iowa, Iowa Code §§ 9H.1 through 9H.5A
Kansas, Kan. Stat. Ann. § 17-5904
Kentucky, Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 381.300
Louisiana, La. Stat. Ann. §§ 3:3613 through 3:3619
Louisiana, La. Stat. Ann. § 9:2717.1
Minnesota, Minn. Stat. Ann. § 500.221
Mississippi, Miss. Const. Art. 4, § 84
Mississippi, Miss. Code Ann. § 89-1-23
Mississippi, Miss. Code Ann. §§ 89-27-1 through 89-27-11
Missouri, Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 442.560 through 442.591
Montana, Mont. Code Ann. § 35-30-103
Nebraska, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 76-370 through 76-3717
North Dakota, N.D. Cent. Code Ann. § 47-01-09
North Dakota, N.D. Cent. Code Ann. §§ 47-10.1-01 through 47-10.1-06
Ohio, Ohio Rev. Stat. § 5301.256
Oklahoma, Okla. Const. art. XXII, §1
Oklahoma, Okla. Stat. tit. 60 §§ 121 through 125
Pennsylvania, 68 Pa. Stat. Ann. §§ 41 through 47
South Carolina, S.C. Const. art. III, § 35
South Carolina, S.C. Code Ann. §§ 27-13-10 through 27-13-40
South Dakota, S.D. Codified Laws §§ 43-2A-1 through 43-2A-7
Tennessee, Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 66-2-301 through 66-2-308
Utah, Utah Code Ann. §§ 63L-13-101 through 63L-13-203
Virginia, Va. Code Ann. §§ 55.1-507 through 55.1-508
Wisconsin, Wis. Stat. § 710.02

State-Level Reporting & Monitoring

Arkansas, Ark. Code Ann. § 2-3-111
Florida, Fla. Stat. Ann. §§ 692.202 through 692.204
Illinois, 765 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 50/1 through 50/8
Indiana, Ind. Code Ann. § 32-22-3-6
Iowa, Iowa Code §§ 9I.7 through 9I.10; 9I.12
Iowa, Iowa Code §§ 10B.1 through 10B.7
Kansas, Kan. Stat. Ann. § 17-7505
Maine, Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 7, §§ 31 through 36
Minnesota, Minn. Stat. Ann. § 500.221
Missouri, Mo. Rev. Stat. § 442.592
Nebraska, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 76-1520 through 76-1524
North Dakota, N.D. Cent. Code Ann. § 47-10.1-05
Ohio, Ohio Rev. Code Ann. §§ 5301.254
Pennsylvania, 68 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 45
South Dakota, S.D. Codified Laws § 43-2A-7
South Dakota, S.D. Codified Laws §§ 59-11-24 through 59-11-24.1
Tennessee, Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-2-305
Virginia, Va. Code Ann. § 55.1-509
Wisconsin, Wis. Stat. § 710.02

Regulations

Disclosure of Foreign Investment in Agricultural Land, 7 C.F.R. Part 781
Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI), 31 C.F.R. § 117.11
Regulations Pertaining to Certain Investments Involving Foreign Persons and Critical Technologies, 31 C.F.R. Part 800
Pilot Program to Review Certain Transactions Involving Foreign Persons and Critical Technologies, 31 C.F.R. Part 801
Regulations Pertaining to Certain Transactions by Foreign Persons Involving Real Estate in the United States, 31 C.F.R. Part 802

Case Law

Case Law Index for Corporate Farming and Foreign Ownership Laws

Center Research Publications

Foreign Investments in Agricultural Land: FAQs & Resource Library (Brown, rev. 2024)
Corporate Transparency Act Factsheet (Robb & E. Rumley, 2024)
Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land: A Legislative Roadmap (Brown, 2023)
Statutes Regulating Ownership of Agricultural Land (Brown, rev. 2024)
Forms and Filing Information: Business Organizations (rev. 2023)
Right-to-Farm Statutes and Corporate Farming Laws (R. Rumley, 2009)
Market Concentration, Horizontal Consolidation, and Vertical Integration in the Hog and Cattle Industries: Taking Stock of the Road Ahead (Pittman, 2005)
The Constitutionality of Corporate Farming Laws in the Eighth Circuit (Pittman, 2004)
Part I: An Overview of Organizational and Ownership Options Available to Agricultural Enterprises (Goforth, 2002)
Part II: An Overview of Organizational and Ownership Options Available to Agricultural Enterprises (Goforth, 2002)

Agricultural Law Bibliography

Introduction   |   Keyword Search   |   Browse Categories

Legal publications on Corporate Farming Laws:

Corporate Farming (Restrictions on Corporate Farming/Family Farm Preservation)
Alien Land Ownership (Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land)
Organizational Forms for Agriculture (Business Law and Development)

Reference Resources

Farm Service Agency (FSA)

AFIDA Annual Reports
AFIDA Fact Sheet
FSA Handbook: Foreign Investment Disclosure (1-AFIDA, Rev. 2)

Economic Research Service (ERS)

Briefing Room: Farm Structure & Organization
Briefing Room: Farm Household Well-Being
U.S. Farmland Ownership, Tenure, and Transfer (Bigelow, Borchers, and Hubbs, 2016)
Publication: The Transformation of U.S. Livestock Agriculture: Scale, Efficiency and Risks (MacDonald & McBride, 2009)

Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS) (U.S. Dept of the Treasury)

CFIUS FAQs
CFIUS Enforcement and Penalty Guidelines
CFIUS Annual Report to Congress

Publications

Land Ownership Articles (NALC, Ag & Food Law Update)
Focusing on Foreign Investment Series (NALC, Ag & Food Law Update)
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) (Cimino-Isaacs & Sutter, 2024)
State Regulation of Foreign Ownership of U.S. Land: January 2023 to July 2024 (Anderson, Hawkins, Mulligan, 2024)
Property as National Security (Erie, 2024)
Foreign Ownership, Control, and Influence (FOCI) Risks in the Food and Agriculture Sector (Humphreys, 2024)
Selected Recent Actions Involving Foreign Ownership and Investment in U.S. Food and Agriculture: In Brief (Johnson, 2024)
Foreign Investments in U.S. Agricultural Land: Enhancing Efforts to Collect, Track, and Share Key Information Could Better Identify National Security Risks (GAO, 2024)
Foreign Ownership of U.S. Agriculture: Selected Policy Options (Johnson, 2023)
Foreign Ownership and Holdings of U.S. Agricultural Land (Johnson, 2023)
The Growing Use of Alternative Farmland Ownership Methods in the U.S. (Boland, Keller, and Petty 2022)
Foreign Farmland Ownership in the United States (CRS Report by Renee Johnson, IF11977, Nov. 18, 2021)
CFIUS: New Foreign Investment Review Regulations (Cimino-Isaacs, 2020)
Farmland Ownership: Trends and Future Implications (Sherrick, 2017)
Realization of the American Dream by Foreign Investors: Alien Agricultural Land Ownership in Iowa (Shelman, 2017)
Farmer’s Guide to Anti-Corporate Farming Laws (Armstrong et al., 2016)
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA): Overview and Recent Tax Revisions (CRS Report by Jane G. Gravelle, R44421, July 14, 2016)
The Battle Over America’s Farmlands: Corporate Farming Practices and Legislative Attempts at Preserving the Family Farm (Boomershine, 2016)
You Can’t Have Your Beef and Eat It Too: The Statutory Effect of Anti-Corporate Farming Acts on Family Farms and Beef Corporations (Trout, 2014)
Reforming Alien Agricultural Landownership Restrictions in Corporate Farming Law States: A Constitutional and Policy View From Iowa (Wilson, 2013)
Anti-Corporate Farming Laws and Industry Structure: The Case of Cattle Feeding (Schroeter, Azzam, and Aiken, 2006)
Should Corporate Farming be Limited in the United States?: An Economic Perspective (Wittmaack, 2006)
Buying the Farm: The Eighth Circuit Declares South Dakota’s Anti-Corporate Farming Amendment Violates the Dormant Commerce Clause (Chostner, 2004)
Agricultural Industrialization, Anticorporate Farming Laws, and Rural Community Welfare (Lyson and Welsh, 2004)
Is There a Future for Legislative Involvement in Shaping the Structure of Agriculture? (McEowen, 2003)
Testing the Impact of Corporate Farming Restrictions on the Nebraska Hog Industry (Matthey and Royer, 2001)
On the Effectiveness of State Anti-Corporate Farming Laws in the United States (Walsh et al., 2001)
Anti-Corporate, Agricultural Cooperatives and The Family Farm (Harbur, 1999)
Reorganizing U.S. Agriculture The Rise of Industrial Agriculture and Direct Marketing (Welsh, 1997)

Additional Resources

Foreign Ownership of Ag Land: Federal & State Legislative Update (NALC webinar)
Foreign Ownership of Ag Land: Legal Background and Update (NALC webinar)
Corporate and Foreign Land Ownership in Iowa (Renshaw, Chandio & Tidgren, Iowa State Univ.)
Minnesota Corporate Farming Law: Fact Sheet (Minnesota House Research Dept.)
Minnesota’s Corporate Farm Report (Minn. Dept. of Agriculture)
Kansas Corporate Farming Law: Fact Sheet (Kansas Legislative Research Dept.)
North Dakota Corporate Farming Law: FAQs (North Dakota Secretary of State)
NACo Primer for Counties: Foreign Ownership of U.S. Agricultural Land (National Association of Counties)
State by State Ag Facts (Farm Policy Facts)
Iowa’s Anti-Corporate Farming Laws: A General Overview (Iowa State Univ. Center for Agricultural Law & Taxation)
Does I-300 Work? (NebraskaStudies.org)