Guess Who Is Buying Up U.S. Farmland Now? Senate Republicans Launch Effort to Ban Chinese Nationals from Buying Land in US

Guess Who Is Buying Up U.S. Farmland Now?

With all this talk about the Chinese government infiltrating the United States through TikTok, many have asked: Aren’t the Chinese already doing so through the purchase of U.S. farmland?

About a year and a half ago, Georgia Rep. Mike Collins delivered a speech to the U.S. House of Representatives, citing a 2021 report that China owned 384,000 acres of American agricultural land at that time — a 30% jump between 2019 and 2020 — and some of that land surrounded an Air Force base in North Dakota, making it a clear threat to national security. Grand Forks, N.D., apparently ended up denying building permits to the Chinese-based food manufacturer that purchased that land and denied access to industrial infrastructure after the mayor called the federal response “slow and contradictory” and an Air Force official called it a “significant threat.”

While on the campaign trail in 2024, Donald Trump called these types of Chinese investments a “threat to American farmers” and promised that if he were elected, he’d block Chinese nationals from purchasing any additional land. When he met with a group of farmers in Pennsylvania in September, they expressed other concerns beyond national security, such as driving up prices and eliminating a future generation of American farmers and ranchers.

“My concern today is with foreign [sic] buying up farmland, young Americans can’t afford to buy a farm or even get started,” said beef farmer Todd Reamer, who has owned his farm for three decades. “I know there are young farmers out there who really aspire to own a farm or ranch but can’t because of the high costs. We hear the word ‘sustainable,’ but to stay sustainable we need to give Americans a chance to own farms and ranches so they can continue to produce the safest food supply in the world for generations to come.”

But it turns out it’s not just China buying up our farmland. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s most recent report, “46 million acres of crop, pasture and forest lands were held by investors from outside of the United States” at the end of 2023, and that number, which totals about 3.6% of all private land, seems to be rising. Canada is the largest foreign landholder in our country by far, followed by European countries like the Netherlands, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Between 2022 and 2023, Chinese land ownership actually declined a bit, though 2024 numbers aren’t yet available. Land ownership by Iran and Cuba also declined, but Canada and Australia have increased their stake with plans to use the land for renewable energy purposes. —>READ MORE HERE

Senate Republicans launch effort to ban Chinese nationals from buying land in US

China owned around 350,000 acres of farmland across 27 states as of last year

Republican senators are putting forth legislation that would ban China from buying U.S. land entirely.

The Not One More Inch or Acre Act, led by Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Katie Britt of Alabama, would require the sale of land owned or “influenced” by the CCP that is deemed a national security risk. It would direct the president to take action to prohibit the purchase of public or private real estate in the U.S. by Chinese citizens or companies.

China owned around 350,000 acres of farmland across 27 states as of last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

As of 2022, foreign entities and individuals held 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, which is nearly 2% of all land in the U.S.

Lawmakers have argued that China’s land buys are a national security risk since many of them are near military installations. For years, Chinese nationals have attempted to breach U.S. military facilities, often through the use of surveillance drones or posing as tourists.

“For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has been gobbling up American farmland and real estate,” Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement.

“At best, this submits American land and resources to China’s best interests, not America’s—at worst, these purchases serve as outposts for Chinese espionage campaigns against American businesses and military bases. We can’t allow Chinese citizens, or anyone affiliated with the CCP, to own one more inch of American soil. And any American land exploited by current Chinese ownership should be sold.” —>READ MORE HERE

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