USDA to ban China from buying American farmland

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on Tuesday said her department would take legislative and executive action to ban Chinese citizens and other foreign adversaries from buying American farmland. She said it would also work to recover already-purchased land. The initiative was the first of seven in the new National Farm Security Action Plan, she said. China owns more than 265,000 acres of U.S. farmland, according to a social media post from the White House.

Foreign investment in agriculture grew as high as 43.4 million acres, according to a 2022 report by the Farm Service Agency. By 2023, roughly half of U.S. states had passed laws limiting foreign companies and entities from owning farmland within their borders, according to a report from the National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas. Arkansas asked a Chinese-owned company to sell about 160 acres of farmland in 2023.

How will the government block land sales to foreign adversaries? The U.S. Department of Agriculture will work with state governments and Congress to make regulations blocking such sales, according to the White House. The department plans to tighten procedures under an existing law that requires foreign investors to disclose U.S. land holdings to the department’s secretary. The USDA will also sign an agreement with the Treasury Department to review agricultural transactions with foreign investors or nations, according to the White House.

What other initiatives are part of the farm security plan?

• Strengthening the agricultural supply chain by identifying critical materials and equipment, conducting crisis simulations, and improving import restrictions on biohazards

• Blocking noncitizens from using U.S. food assistance programs and combating benefits fraud alongside law enforcement

• Instituting a review process for USDA-funded research to ensure that it helps farmers, ranchers, and land managers and is not connected to foreign adversaries

• Ending agreements and certifications with countries of concern and reevaluating approval for USDA programs such as small business assistance

• Funding research into plant and animal health, including vaccinations and therapeutic treatments

• Supporting agro-defense education and giving agricultural companies access to cybersecurity resources

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on President Donald Trump’s threat to impose additional tariffs on members of the BRICS international coalition.