2-5505. Railroad land; substantial improvements; offer to sell; agricultural tenant; rights; department; duties.

(1)(a) Except when an owner of railroad land has received a bona fide third-party offer to purchase the property that the owner desires to accept, if a railroad or its successor in interest wishes to sell or offer to sell property leased to an agricultural tenant upon which substantial improvements owned by the agricultural tenant are located, then, except when the sale or offer to sell is made to a purchaser who is a common carrier who intends to operate a railroad on railroad right-of-way adjacent to the leased property for the public benefit or a purchaser who intends to use the railroad land for interim trail use under the National Trails System Act, 16 U.S.C. 1243, as such act existed on July 20, 2002, the railroad or its successor in interest shall first extend to the agricultural tenant a written offer to sell the railroad land to the agricultural tenant at fair market value.

(b) If a bona fide third-party offer that a railroad or its successor in interest desires to accept has been made to purchase property leased to an agricultural tenant upon which substantial improvements owned by the agricultural tenant are located, the railroad or its successor in interest shall first extend to the agricultural tenant a written offer to sell the railroad land at a price that is substantially equal in value to such third-party offer of purchase. If the agricultural tenant does not accept such written offer within thirty days after receipt of the offer, then the railroad or its successor in interest may sell the property to the third party, and such third party is not bound under this section.

(2) The agricultural tenant shall have thirty days after a written offer made to the agricultural tenant pursuant to subdivision (1)(a) of this section to give written notice of either (a) acceptance of the offer to sell and of the offerer's determination of fair market value or (b) acceptance of the offer to sell and rejection of the offerer's determination of fair market value in which case the parties shall negotiate the fair market value and, if the parties cannot agree, the agricultural tenant shall have sixty days after the agricultural tenant gives notice of rejection to file a complaint with the Department of Agriculture seeking determination of fair market value.

(3) The Department of Agriculture, after reasonable notice to the parties, shall hear and determine the fair market value of the land offered for sale and make such order as the facts of the controversy warrant. In conducting its hearing, the department shall have those powers granted it under the Administrative Procedure Act. Any person shall have the right to appeal from such order in accordance with the act.

(4) If the agricultural tenant fails to give timely notice or to file a timely complaint under subsection (2) of this section or fails to complete the purchase of the railroad land within sixty days after the fair market value has been accepted by the agricultural tenant or determined by the department, unless the delay in completing the purchase is attributable to the railroad or its successor in interest, the railroad or its successor in interest may sell or offer to sell the railroad land to any purchaser and such purchaser shall not be bound by this section. If the railroad land is sold to a purchaser which will use the railroad land for railroad operating purposes or for interim trail use as described in subdivision (1)(a) of this section, then the purchaser shall be bound by all of the provisions of the Agricultural Suppliers Lease Protection Act.

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