United States: Land Law & Agriculture

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Real estate law and construction law thought leadership, articles, podcasts, videos and webinars from expert sources across the legal world. Explore insights covering topics such as construction and planning, conveyancing, estate management, land law and agriculture, and real estate law.
Article
From Compass Lines To Parcel Numbers: How Washington Records Real Property
Washington's property records combine federal surveys, handwritten field notes, metes-and-bounds descriptions, recorded plats, and digital databases into a complex system that has evolved over more than a century. While modern county databases make property information accessible within seconds, understanding how parcel numbers, legal descriptions, surveys, and recording systems work together reveals both the usefulness and occasional complexity of identifying land ownership and boundaries.
United States Real Estate
BB
Beresford Booth
Article
Williamson Act Contracts In California
California's Williamson Act provides a mechanism for landowners to temporarily restrict agricultural land development in exchange for favorable property tax treatment. This article examines how these contracts are created, terminated, and affected by public acquisitions, offering essential guidance for landowners, public agencies, and eminent domain practitioners navigating the intersection of farmland preservation and public infrastructure projects.
United States Real Estate
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Nossaman LLP
Article
Public Land, Canceled Shares: First District Court Upholds Mutual Water Company Stock Rule
A California appellate court has ruled that mutual water companies must cancel shares held by public entities under state law, even when those entities use the water for municipal purposes. The decision examines whether public ownership of appurtenant shares conflicts with constitutional provisions and establishes important precedent for land transactions involving mutual water companies.
United States Government
FL
Fennemore
Article
Trump Administration Rescinds Biden-Era Public Lands Protections Across The West
The Trump administration has rescinded a Biden-era Bureau of Land Management rule that elevated conservation as a formal management objective for Western public lands. The rollback removes restoration and mitigation leases, eliminates landscape-health planning requirements, and returns decision-making to traditional multiple-use frameworks, leaving future conservation efforts to site-specific permitting and review processes.
United States Environment
FL
Fennemore
Article
New York Department Of Environmental Conservation Virtual Stakeholder Meeting On August 27, 2026
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is preparing comprehensive revisions to its pesticide regulations and seeking stakeholder input on implementation of the Birds and Bees Protection Act, which will restrict neonicotinoid pesticides and treated seeds. A virtual meeting scheduled for August 2026 will cover certification requirements, commercial permits, pesticide use restrictions, and the critical agricultural waiver process for treated seeds before the 2029 effective date.
United States Environment
BC
Bergeson & Campbell
Article
What The New World Screwworm Response Means For Businesses: Supply Chain Risks And Legal Considerations
The recent resurgence of the New World screwworm (NWS), Cochliomyia hominivorax, has prompted renewed regulatory action by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and raised concerns across the livestock industry.NWS is a parasitic fly whose larvae infest open wounds and feed on the living tissue of cattle, wildlife, pets, and other warm-blooded animals, causing serious injury and economic losses.
United States Healthcare
SM
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Article
AI Lessons:  What Eminent Domain Practitioners And Litigants Should Learnfrom Emerging Case Law
A comprehensive resource examining the legal framework, procedures, and implications of eminent domain proceedings. Explore how government entities exercise their power to acquire private property for public use, the constitutional protections afforded to property owners, and the compensation mechanisms that balance public interest with individual rights.
United States Real Estate
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Nossaman LLP
Article
USDA Proposes Major Overhaul Of AFIDA Rules
On June 25, 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a proposed rule (Docket No. USDA-2026-0001; RIN 0560-AI70) that would significantly reshape the regulatory framework under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA). The proposed rule would broaden what counts as “agricultural land,” narrow long-standing reporting exemptions, expand beneficial ownership disclosure, increase penalties, and move administration of the program to USDA’s Office of Homeland Security.
United States Real Estate
AP
Arnold & Porter
Article
USDA Publishes Technical Guidelines For The Production Of Regenerative Agricultural Biofuel Feedstocks
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published a final rule revising technical guidelines for quantifying carbon intensity of agricultural commodity crops used in biofuel production. These revised guidelines establish a framework for farm producers to measure net emissions changes from authorized farming practices and track emissions data throughout the biofuel supply chain.
United States Environment
BC
Bergeson & Campbell
Article
USDA Proposes Major Overhaul Of AFIDA Rules
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed sweeping changes to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act that would dramatically expand what qualifies as agricultural land, eliminate key reporting exemptions, and impose stricter penalties on foreign investors. The proposed rule reframes AFIDA as a national security measure rather than a data-collection exercise, potentially affecting institutional investors, renewable energy developers, and even U.S. entities with upstream foreign ownership. W
United States Government
AP
Arnold & Porter
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