Many state laws provide for financial assistance to farmers. By issuing loans or providing emergency aid, states are able to ensure the survival of family farms and continued agricultural production. The states also have the power to impose agricultural liens, which are claims upon crops for unpaid debts. If a farmer is unable to make timely payments on loans for services or supplies, the state may sue the farmer to gain a security interest in the farmer's crops. States also enact laws to supervise the inspection, grading, sale, and storage of grain, fertilizer, and seed.
Municipalities can also set regulations that ostensibly control agricultural production.
The subject of wetlands, for example, is within the ambit of local governing bodies. In Ruotolo v. Madison Inland Wetlands Agency, No. Ruotolo had sought to plant nursery stock on the area after moving earth to raise the ground level, but the Madison Wetlands Regulation precluded the filling in of any wetlands. According to a state statute, though, farming was permitted on some wetlands of less than three acres. Ruotolo asserted a right to farm, and argued that since the state law and the local regulation were in conflict, the state law should prevail.