Can you shoot the guy stealing your cattle? Probably not. Iowa actually has the leading case in the nation on defense of property. In the case, the landowner's property was invaded a number of times and items were stolen. The landowner set up a "spring gun" that shot a crossbow bolt into the intruder the next time he entered the house. The intruder sued the land owner and won.

Care of your property

Iowa subscribes to the concept of reasonable care of the property. If you have a dangerous condition on your property (sink hole, pool of tar, abandoned leaning building) you need to take steps that a "reasonable person" would take to safeguard it against it injuring someone. This can mean fencing off the area, placing signs, or removing the hazard.

Standing crops

Unless an agreement is made to the contrary, if you buy real estate the crops growing pass with it.