Find an Agriculture Law Lawyer

The laws and regulations pertaining to agriculture are some of the most extensive and complex in any industry. These laws encompass many different areas of law—environmental law (both state and federal), administrative law, commercial law, taxation, labor law, intellectual property law, and international trade. In addition, a wide range of local, state and federal laws are directed solely at agriculture, including but not limited to the law of government farm programs, right to farm laws, and farm finance and credit laws. The structure of agriculture, the safety of our food and the allocation of agricultural resources create the foundation of agricultural law. USDA The United States Department of Agriculture is a central federal department that was first created to provide American farmers with a source of knowledge about farming and was meant to be a resource that farmers could turn to, to receive general information. But when the country was experiencing the Great Depression, agricultural commodities were at all-time low prices, so the USDA stepped in and initiated, for the first time, support of commodity prices and farm income. The USDA has the authority to address agricultural issues, to undertake a variety of studies, research, and investigations and to engage in other information-gathering activities. It works with state, county, municipal, and tribal governments to protect the consuming public as well as farmers and ranchers. The department protects the country's 192 million acres of national forests and rangelands, making it the country's largest conservation agency. Continued... By Margie Monin