This dissertation examines the efforts of states to enact agricultural product disparagement legislation. The laws provide a cause of action and damages for derogatory statements made about perishable farm produce. Prior to the enactment of these laws, state law did not provide a legal remedy for derogatory statements made about generic farm produce State legislatures began debating agricultural product disparagement legislation after the Alar incident of 1989. Louisiana was the first state to pass a bill into law in 1991. Subsequently, twelve other states followed suit. Qualitative research on this topic has been based on the premise that farmers and others involved in agricultural businesses, particularly pesticide manufacturers, influenced bill passage. This research builds on prior qualitative research, by modeling the influences on bill passage using a quantitative model Seven variables were used for the multivariate analysis: party control, ideology, state support for the environment, and interest group activity, including, environmentalists, farmers, pesticide manufacturers, and free-speech groups. States that have passed agricultural product disparagement legislation are predominantly in the Southern and Western parts of the country. The enacting states also tend to be politically conservative, and have a strong farming community