Foreign Ownership of Ag Land: Legal Background and Update
Topic:
Ownership of U.S. land, specifically agricultural lands, by foreign persons or entities has been an issue dating back to the origins of the United States. This webinar will explore the past, present, and future of federal and state laws as well as legislative proposals relating to foreign ownership of agricultural land. Specifically, the webinar will address federal and state reporting statutes as well as existing and proposed federal state laws that seek to restrict or prohibit foreign ownership and/or other legal interests in farmland. The webinar will also address noteworthy judicial developments in this area, as well as a review of the level of foreign ownership/legal interests in agricultural land.
Time and Date:
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
12:00 – 1:00 (EST)
11:00 – 12:00 (CST)
Participation:
Click here to find a recording of this webinar.
Presenters:
Harrison Pittman, Director, National Agricultural Law Center
Harrison received his Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, after attending Mississippi State University and graduating from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He then earned an LL.M. in Agricultural Law from the University of Arkansas School of Law’s Graduate Program in Agricultural Law. Harrison has worked at the Center since 2001. During that time, his title and job duties have spanned the range of graduate assistant, staff attorney, co-director, interim director, and currently, director; in which capacity he has served since 2007.
He has taught at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law as part of the Ben J. Altheimer Distinguished Professorship for Agricultural Law and has also served as a visiting professor at the Drake University Law School. In addition, he has taught Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Introduction to Agricultural Law in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, & Life Sciences, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. In that role, he was awarded the 2011-2012 Agricultural Business Club Teaching Award.
He is an active member of the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA), the nation’s only professional organization focused on the legal needs of the agricultural community, and was the first recipient of the AALA’s Excellence in Agricultural Law award in 2010. Additionally, he is an active member of the Arkansas Bar Association, where he helped found the Agricultural Law Section, later served as interim chair and chair, and currently serves as vice-chair. He is a frequent presenter on a range of topics and issues, including the farm bill, water law, and environmental law. He has authored articles on numerous subjects, including the National Organic Program, the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, the constitutionality of corporate farming laws, pesticide regulation and litigation, agritourism, states’ recreational use statutes, the Packers and Stockyards Act, agricultural bankruptcy issues, and environmental laws impacting agriculture.
Research & Materials: