China Purchasing American Farmland Remains A Threat

Ag Secretary Brook Rollins recently said almost half the states have acted to limit or even reverse China’s purchase of U.S. farmland.  Rollins recently told House Ag appropriators that foreign adversaries buying up U.S. farmland is now among the nation’s most “perilous” threats.

“In 1983, China owned about two thousand acres in America," the Secretary noted.  "Today, they own 300,000 acres of what was good American farmland, and a lot of it around military bases.”

No Meaningful Changes From D.C.

And while the House has passed legislation to safeguard U.S. farmland, none has made it through both chambers/  But Rollins said the states have stepped in.

“I’m a very big believer in the ability of the states to act as guardians at the gates on key issues like that," Rollins said.  "And some of our, a lot of our states have really leaned in and passed legislation.” 

With one state being especially active.

“Arkansas, I think, has probably been the most forward-leaning," Rollins said.  "Sarah Sanders there, not only passed barring the future sale of farmland, but has also begun clawing some of it back.”

The Senate passed a bipartisan amendment in 2023 that would ban China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran from buying American farmland and agricultural businesses, but it never became law.  

In 2024, Congress gave the Ag secretary a permanent seat on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which reviews foreign U.S. asset purchases.  It also required the USDA to notify CFIUS of certain agricultural land transactions under the 1978 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act that could pose national security risks.

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