The Trump administration has launched a crackdown on foreign ownership of U.S. farmland, targeting nations considered adversaries, such as China. Under the new National Farm Security Action Plan, the USDA will collaborate with state lawmakers and CFIUS to block farmland purchases by foreign entities and increase penalties for violations, reports Bloomberg. Officials say national security concerns drive the move, as foreign-held farmland has grown to 45 million acres, with China holding under 1%. The plan also scrutinizes foreign involvement in USDA-funded research and aims to prevent hostile regimes from influencing U.S. agriculture. They write:
The Trump administration is tightening its grip on foreign ownership of farmland amid continuing concerns over Chinese investment in America’s heartland. […]
US farms are “under threat from criminals, from political adversaries and from hostile regimes that understand our way of life as a profound and existential threat to themselves,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at the event. Rollins said she is officially part of CFIUS as of Tuesday. […]
Foreign-held farmland expanded to nearly 45 million acres as of 2023, though that is only about 3.5% of all US privately-held farmland, according to the USDA. More than a third of that acreage is owned by Canadian investors. China held nearly 280,000 acres in 2023, slightly less than 1% of foreign-held acres. […]
Also speaking at the event with Rollins were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Read more here.
