Chinese Ownership of US Land Now Limited

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced that the United States will be moving to ban Chinese ownership of US farmland over national security concerns.

During a press conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and other top officials, Rollins stated that the Trump administration will be working with states, along with the use executive actions, to ban ownership of U.S. agriculture by Chinese nationals and other adversaries. From the executive branch to local government, Rollins says that “we will do everything within our ability, including presidential authorities, to claw back what has already been purchased by China and other foreign adversaries.”

Rollins also says that they will “take swift legislative and executive action to ban the purchase of American farmland by Chinese nationals and other foreign adversaries.”

One example of states permitting foreign ownership of land is seen in Missouri where state law, (at present) permits foreign ownership of up to 1% of farmland in the state.

If foreign ownership were to be banned, however, it would force the sale of the property property passed to Chinese ownership with the 2013 purchase of Smithfield Foods by Shuanghui International, now known as WH Group, China’s largest pork producer. The Smithfield operation is on more than 40,000 acres near Princeton in northern Missouri.

The “National Farm Security Action Plan” is based on the concept that “farm security is national security,” according to a preamble to USDA’s written plan which states: “Land owned by foreign nationals – particularly those from countries of concern … or other foreign adversaries – is a potential threat to national security and future economic prosperity. USDA will ensure transparency of foreign US agricultural land ownership and pursue robust and overdue updates to data collection, reporting, and analysis.”

According to the plan, the USDA will implement reforms such as creating an online filing system to require foreign entities to report their holdings and transactions in the U.S. agricultural marketplace.

Additionally, the plan states that although U.S. farmers dominate the global farming industry, “that dominance is earned and not assured,” and as such, “it is critical we continuously adapt our approach to American agriculture security and elevate it to the top echelon of national security priorities.”

The Justice Department, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, along with the USDA will be seeking out state and local governments, in order to block investment by foreign adversaries.

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