For the second year, a bill was introduced that would add an amendment to the Iowa Constitution declaring that Iowans have a right to hunt, fish, trap, and harvest wildlife. The amendment’s supporters cite the need for the amendment stemming from efforts of animal rights groups to limit hunting and trapping. The amendment could also provide protections for hunting rights that may be in competition…
The Iowa Agricultural Development Division of Iowa Finance Authority is holding eight workshops around the state to educate beginning farmers and military veterans interested in farming about state and federal programs that can help them start or grow their farm business. The events are being organized in conjunction with the non-profit, Veterans In Agriculture, and others. VIA assists military veterans to succeed in Iowa agriculture. …
Boundary disputes are not uncommon. They often occur when someone purchases land and then learns that a fence or other boundary marker is not quite where it should be according to the survey. These disputes are often settled through a legal doctrine referred to as boundary by acquiescence. The Iowa Court of Appeals recently addressed this doctrine in Nafziger vs. Pender and Smith. The Nafzigers…
The Drake University Agricultural Law Center is providing an opportunity for individuals and organizations interested in Iowa’s soil and water conservation policy to take part in a two-day conference to be held in Des Moines on November 19th and 20th. The Center, with support from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, will host a state-wide conference on soil and water conservation policy. The conference will…
More than two years ago Sallee v. Stewart made headlines when the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the state’s “recreational use statute” did not apply to a chaperone who was injured while supervising children playing in a barn. Recreational use statutes provide protection against negligence claims for landowners who open their land to the public. The case received a great deal of attention from farmers, insurance…
The federal government has in recent years demonstrated an increased propensity for bringing criminal charges against farmers and food producers who violate food safety regulations. Cantelope farmers in Colorado received probation after introducing adulterated fruit and most recently, Quality Egg LLC, the company owner, and a top executive were sentenced in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa. The owner of Quality Egg LLC, Jack DeCoster,…
Putting aside the many political controversies surrounding gun rights and the right to carry firearms, there are many practical as well as recreational purposes for having firearms on a farm. There are, however, a number of ways a person may lose their right to possess firearms, as well as ammunition, regardless of the type of gun or the purpose for which it is used. These…