As Virginia moves closer to a constitutional amendment to protect private property owners from eminent domain abuse, Congress is considering similar legislation. 

Farmers whose land is taken using eminent domain should be able to access what’s left of their property and should be compensated for profits lost when a condemning authority has decided to take their land.

A proposed constitutional amendment that would help protect private property rights cleared its next-to-last hurdle when it was passed by the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates. Now it awaits approval by Virginia voters in November.

A state constitutional amendment to protect private property rights is one step closer to getting on November’s ballot

A Virginia constitutional amendment to protect private property rights has progressed further than ever before in the legislative approval process.

Edd Jennings recently won a lawsuit against the Virginia Department of Transportation for its taking and damaging Jennings’ Wythe County farm during repairs to the Interstate 77 bridge, which looms over his house and cuts his 300-acre farm in half.

A record membership year and a successful start toward passage of a property rights amendment to the Virginia constitution were highlights of 2011 for...

Virginia farmers have voiced support for amending Virginia’s constitution to protect landowners. Virginia Farm Bureau Federation President Wayne F. Pryor explains why.

Virginia’s eminent domain laws allow government and utilities to take private property for the greater good of the community. Virginia Farm Bureau is working to ensure that process is fair for everyone.

A Loudon County farmer speaks up about losing his land, and about his support of a property rights amendment to Virginia’s constitution in this month’s "Real Dirt."

A Loudon County farmer speaks up about losing his land, and about his support of a property rights amendment to Virginia’s constitution in this month’s "Real Dirt."

The Virginia General Assembly’s passage of a resolution to amend the state constitution stands to benefit the agricultural community.

Producer members of Virginia Farm Bureau Federation are asking their state senators and delegates to support HJR 693, the first step toward a constitutional amendment to reinforce eminent domain laws.

Virginia Farm Bureau members will be asking the 2011 General Assembly to approve a constitutional amendment to protect private property rights against eminent domain abuse.

More than 100 Virginia Farm Bureau Federation leaders asked their representatives to oppose reinstating Virginia’s estate tax, to oppose any legislation that would limit property rights and to support animal care that is science-based and allows production agriculture to remain in business.

Expanding the resources available for farmers to improve their environmental practices tops the list of legislative priorities for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation this year.

As mid-January approaches, lawmakers and their constituents are readying themselves for a busy legislative season. One issue on the table, eminent domain, won’t put a pinch on the state’s already-tight budget, but it will make a difference to all Virginians who own property, according to one state senator.

As mid-January approaches, lawmakers and their constituents are readying themselves for a busy legislative season. One issue on the table, eminent domain, won’t put a pinch on the state’s already-tight budget, but it will make a difference to all Virginians who own property, according to one state senator.

Use of eminent domain to seize privately owned land has the potential to affect thousands of Virginians every day.

It’s been almost three years since a U.S. Supreme Court decision made people realize their American dreams literally could be snatched right out from under them.

Edd Jennings has to keep an eye on the antiques on his mantle. Vibrations from an Interstate 77 bridge that crosses his property continually move them closer to the edge.

As another session of the Virginia General Assembly presumably winds down—at press time, legislators were in an extended session, still trying to hammer out a state budget—Farm Bureau members can look back on a somewhat successful season.

Something is better than nothing—and while Virginia landowners didn’t get all they were asking for with a pair of proposed bills in this year’s General Assembly, Farm Bureau leaders and legislative staff say the passage of HB 1820 and HB 1821 represented a step in the right direction.