Neil Hamilton

Neil Hamilton is an emeritus professor of law and former director of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University Law School in Des Moines. He was raised on a 200 acre farm in Adams County Iowa, on land that had been in his family since the 1870's. He received his undergraduate degrees in forestry and economics from Iowa State University and his law degree from the University of Iowa. He taught agricultural law at Drake for 36 years, wrote dozens of law review articles on many topics of agriculture and food law, and lectured in over two dozen countries. He is a past president of the American Agricultural Law Association and chaired the Iowa Food Policy Council for seven years. Today he and his wife Khanh operate a market garden farm, Sunstead, near Waukee. He can be reached at [email protected]

ALL POSTS BY Neil Hamilton

  • Economy & Work
    The Death Tax Is Hog Wash
    August 24, 2020
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    Election season has brought the usual flood of TV commercials – generally trying to scare voters about the evils to expect if the opponent is elected. Ads are often marked by outlandish claims and even outright lies but first prize for deception must go to the so-called “death tax” ads. No doubt you have seen them, salt of the earth farmers claiming the death tax threatens the existence of their family farm and of rural ...

  • Inequality
    Iowa’s White Privilege Has a Billion Dollar Price Tag
    August 17, 2020
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    As Iowans we are privileged in so many ways – with our land, our people and our history, but we should be willing to show some humility in recognizing how these privileges came to be. How different would life be today if freedmen and women had been allowed to take their rightful place as land owning, independent farm families – like so many of our ancestors here in Iowa?