Foreign U.S. Ag Ownership
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. Foreign entities bought nearly 3-and-a-half million acres of U.S. farmland and forest in 2022, up more than 8% to more than 43 million acres.
But China’s holdings fell a bit to 350-thousand acres, less than 1% of foreign-owned acres, still too much for Washington State Republican Dan Newhouse …
NEWHOUSE … “This is about our country’s national security, in ensuring that adversaries like China, like Russia, like North Korea or Iran do not gain a foothold on American soil.”
Especially near sensitive U.S. military sites, a threat Pentagon Assistant Secretary Ely Ratner says they take seriously …
RATNER … “It supports efforts to prevent adversarial ownership of sensitive land, industry, and sectors, and biotechnology is one worth taking a careful look at.”
That includes legislation Newhouse introduced …
NEWHOUSE … “The People’s Republic of China is only interested in reaping every possible benefit from U.S. land without giving back or considering our future to sustain an independent energy and food production. The U.S. cannot become dependent on our adversaries for our domestic food supply.”
Senate legislation also requires USDA to have a permanent seat on the Treasury’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which they may try to include in a new farm bill.
