Understanding the Basics of Right to Farm Laws

On Friday, March 27, 2026, from 12 noon–1:00 ET, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC), presented this next webinar in the Understanding Agricultural Law Educational Series, a course designed to develop subject matter literacy and competence on fundamental issues of agricultural law for attorneys and business advisors who work with or represent agricultural or rural clients but may not necessarily specialize in agricultural law: “Understanding the Basics of Right to Farm Laws Right to Farm laws are state-level statutes that shield agricultural producers from nuisance lawsuits complaining of noise, odor, or other physical attributes typically associated with normal agricultural operations. This webinar provides an overview of Right to Farm laws, with a particular emphasis on Pennsylvania’s Right to Farm law and explain their basic protections and requirements. Additionally, this webinar discusses Right to Farm case law application and associated legal issues. 00:15 - Introduction with Audry Thompson 06:02 - Understanding the Basics of Right to Farm Laws with Ross Pifer 07:09 - Background -Societal/Agricultural Transitions 11:55 - Rationales for Protection of Agriculture 14:41 - National Agricultural Lands Study 19:06 - Nuisance Law 22:18 - "Coming to the Nuisance" Defense 24:05 - Right to Farm Laws - Generally 25:26 - Pennsylvania Right to Farm Act 30:04 - Limitation on Nuisance Actions 36:09 - Case Law: Horne v. Haladay 39:12 - Burlingame v. Dagostin 45:22 - Gilbert v. Synagro 50:07 - Remaley v. Zook 53:10 - Right to Farm Issues 54:25 - "New" Right to Farm Laws 55:18 - Conclusion