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For Farmers

Farm Division

The Farm Division is dedicated solely to the interests of farmers and other rural residents.  Established in 1979, it was the first of its kind division of a state attorney general's office in the nation.

The Farm Division has several functions:

  • Serves as the primary legal counsel for nearly all bureaus of the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, and the Iowa Finance Authority's Iowa Agricultural Development Division.
  • Represents the general interests of Iowa farmers in litigation in state and federal courts. Over the years, the Division has investigated and brought numerous consumer fraud cases involving agriculture on topics ranging from phony pesticides to tractor hour meter tampering to fake soil enhancements. The Division has pursued litigation to enforce Iowa's corporate farming statute (Iowa Code Chapter 9H) regarding Smithfield Foods' acquisition of Murphy Family Farms' Iowa assets.
  • Works with other state attorneys general in multistate investigations and litigation.  Most notable was the multistate effort led by the Division which resulted in a mitigation agreement with Aventis Crop Science, recouping over $14 million for Iowa farmers and grain elevators adversely affected by StarLink corn.
  • Develops and promotes legislation. Since 2000, it has spearheaded a multistate legislative initiative aimed at creating legislation to provide farmers engaged in production and marketing contracting with tools to enhance their positions in those contracts.
  • Undertakes extensive educational efforts for farmers, rural bankers, agricultural attorneys, and others on issues facing rural Iowa. Issues addressed include production and marketing contracts, credit sale contracts, hedge-to-arrive contracts, fertilizer and insecticide application, cooperative deferred dividend issues, farm safety, farm implement hour meter concerns, farm lease laws, and GMOs.

Farm Division Links

Farm Laws & Regulations
File a Consumer Complaint

Contact

Email: marc.wallin@ag.iowa.gov

Phone: 515-281-8359
Fax: 515-242-6072

Office of the Attorney General of Iowa
Attn: Farm Division
321 E. 12th St.
Des Moines, IA 50319

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