Chinese Purchase of U.S. Grain Terminal Raises Alarms

The issue of foreign ownership of U.S. land has become increasingly contentious, with various states approaching it in different ways. While some states have enacted specific regulations, others have chosen not to address it, and there are ongoing calls for federal intervention.

A recent development in this debate involves a Chinese company acquiring a grain terminal in St. Louis, situated along the Mississippi River. This move has drawn attention from Dennis Wilmsmeyer, executive director of America’s Central Port in Illinois, who has voiced concerns about such transactions…

“When I hear the Chinese and other are buying up farmland, that obviously has a concern to us. It’s not a direct concern for what we do on a daily basis, but we do hear of river terminal facilities also being purchased by foreign ownership. That is a major concern just because, you hear of the term ‘bad actors.’ We are very concerned in that respect. What’s their intention? Why are they investing in our facilities here in this country? And, once we lose control, how do we get that back?”

According to the most recent USDA report on Foreign Holdings of U.S. Agricultural Land, foreign entities controlled over 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land as of December 31, 2022. This represents 3.4 percent of all privately held agricultural land and nearly 2 percent of all land in the United States.