On the Effectiveness of state anti-corporate farming laws in the United States

Structural changes in US agriculture toward a more corporate-oriented and v ertically aligned system have focused attention on the relative efficacy of the anti-corporate farming laws of nine Midwestern states. Using state-lev el data from a survey of agricultural lawyers and the U.S. Census of Agricu lture, we find that the restrictiveness of the laws vary among states, and the relative restrictiveness of the laws have changed over time. Also, stre ngthening a law tends to limit acreage under non-family corporate ownership arrangements. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.