{"id":2129030,"date":"2023-12-19T14:00:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T19:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/foreigners-bought-3-million-acres-of-u-s-farmland-last-year-now-control-2-of-the-u-s\/"},"modified":"2023-12-19T14:10:06","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T19:10:06","slug":"foreigners-bought-3-million-acres-of-u-s-farmland-last-year-now-control-2-of-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/foreigners-bought-3-million-acres-of-u-s-farmland-last-year-now-control-2-of-the-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"Foreigners acquired 3M acres of U.S. farmland in 2020, now owning 2% of the country&#8217;s total"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fforeigners-bought-3-million-acres-of-u-s-farmland-last-year-now-control-2-of-the-u-s%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2129030&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Foreigners purchased a staggering 3.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land in 2020, now owning or \u200cleasing nearly two percent of the entire U.S. landmass, according to \u200drecent\u2063 federal data. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report this \u2064month stating that &#8220;foreign \u2063persons held an interest in \u2064over 43.4 million acres of U.S. \u2063agricultural land as of December\u2063 31, 2022.&#8221; This represents a \u200bsignificant increase\u200d of\u200d 3.4 \u200bmillion acres from the previous year and accounts\u200b for\u200d 3.4 percent of all privately held agricultural land and nearly 2 percent of all land in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Interest in U.S. farmland from foreign countries was once \u2063uncommon, but it has \u2063skyrocketed in \u2063recent years, largely\u200b due to foreign-controlled wind energy farms. The USDA\u200c noted that &#8220;foreign holdings of U.S. agricultural land increased modestly from 2012 through 2017, but since 2017, foreign holdings\u200c have been\u200b increasing at an average of nearly 2.9 million acres annually.&#8221; The countries with the\u200d largest holdings\u2062 include the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela,\u200b Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Cuba, and Russia.<\/p>\n<p>This issue has sparked\u200b bipartisan outrage, especially\u2062 after\u200c Congress\u2064 removed provisions aimed \u200cat \u2063curbing foreign land purchases in a recent defense bill. \u2064Concerns \u200dabout national security have been raised, particularly when \u2062a Chinese food manufacturer acquired 300 acres near a crucial Air\u2063 Force base in North Dakota. Efforts \u200chave been\u200c made to block China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from buying farmland, with the \u200cSenate passing an \u200camendment to the defense funding act. However, the final text of the \u2062bill removed\u2064 these provisions, causing further\u2063 concern.<\/p>\n<p>Allowing foreign countries, including \u2063adversaries like China, to acquire American farmland has raised serious concerns about national\u2062 security and the interests of American farmers. With many\u2062 farmers \u200bnearing retirement\u200c age, there is a growing \u2062threat that this trend will worsen. The Senate Committee on Agriculture held a hearing on this\u2063 issue, with \u200done senator stating that U.S. adversaries should not own any \u2062agricultural land in the country.<\/p>\n<p>The majority of foreign-owned land is split between farmland and timber, with Maine having over one-fifth of its\u2063 agricultural land owned by foreigners and Texas having the highest amount of foreign-held acreage. \u200cCanadian investors own \u200bthe largest portion of foreign-owned\u200c land, followed by the Netherlands, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The report also\u200b mentioned\u2062 that China\u2063 holds a significant amount of land,\u200b primarily through \u200dChinese-owned companies.<\/p>\n<p>The increase in\u2063 foreign ownership of cropland is largely attributed to foreign-controlled \u2062wind and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsguard-claims-not-to-be-government-funded-but-a-750k-grant-suggests-otherwise\/\" title=\"NewsGuard Claims Not To Be Government-Funded, But A 0K Grant Suggests Otherwise\">solar energy firms<\/a>, which purchase\u200b large amounts of land for non-agricultural purposes, such as installing windmills. The\u200c USDA \u200breported that a quarter of foreign-tied agricultural acreage \u2063is controlled by companies with\u200b &#8220;wind&#8221; in their name, \u2064and there\u2064 has \u2063been a significant spike in the \u2063use of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, totaling nearly one million acres.<\/p>\n<p>While some counties have enacted prohibitions on foreign ownership of cropland, enforcement has been\u200c challenging due to vague laws. The issue of foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land remains\u2064 a \u2063contentious \u200dtopic,\u200b with concerns about national \u200dsecurity, the interests \u200dof American farmers, and\u200b the preservation of a valuable national resource.  <\/p>\n<h2> What are the \u2062national security\u200c concerns associated with allowing foreign \u2063entities to control significant amounts\u2063 of U.S. agricultural land<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200bBeen made by lawmakers to pass legislation that would impose tighter restrictions on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-bills-to-bar-communist-china-from-buying-us-land-we-need-big-strides-not-baby-steps\/\" title=\"In Bills To Bar Communist China From Buying US Land, We Need Big Strides Not Baby Steps\">foreign land ownership<\/a>, but these efforts have been met with challenges.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062increasing presence\u2064 of\u200d foreign \u200dentities \u200din U.S. agricultural land raises\u200d several\u2064 concerns. One \u2062of the main concerns is\u2063 the potential for\u2062 these foreign investors to have control over the nation&#8217;s food production. With such a significant portion\u200b of agricultural \u200bland \u2064now owned or leased by foreigners, there is a fear that the United States could become dependent on other \u200bcountries for \u200bits \u2063food\u200d supply.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, there are worries about the \u2063impact of\u200d foreign ownership on the environment and natural resources. Foreign entities may not have the\u200d same level of commitment to sustainable \u2062farming practices or \u200cconservation\u2063 efforts as domestic\u200c owners. This could\u2062 lead to\u200b the depletion of soil quality, water resources, and the\u200c loss\u200d of biodiversity.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore,\u2062 the issue \u200bof\u2062 foreign\u200d ownership of agricultural \u2062land \u200bhas significant \u200dnational security\u200c implications. \u2064Critics argue that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americas-rainbow-military-is-on-track-to-lose-another-major-war\/\" title=\"US Military's Diversity Poses Risk in Future Conflicts\">allowing foreign entities<\/a>, especially those \u200dfrom potentially adversarial countries, to \u2063control large amounts of U.S. land could compromise the country&#8217;s security and sovereignty. The concern is that these entities\u2063 could use their control over agricultural land to exert influence over the food system or disrupt the\u200c nation&#8217;s food supply in times of crisis.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b current lack of regulations surrounding foreign\u2062 land \u200bownership highlights the need\u2063 for\u200c stronger legislation to\u2063 address \u200bthis \u200bissue. Efforts have been \u200bmade in \u200bthe past to limit foreign ownership of\u2063 agricultural land, \u200dbut \u2063they have \u200bfaced opposition from those who argue that restricting foreign investment\u2063 could \u200cstifle economic growth and discourage foreign trade.<\/p>\n<p>However, it is important to find a balance between\u2062 economic interests and\u2064 national security concerns. Implementing measures \u200dthat prioritize national \u2062security without impeding economic growth should be a priority. This\u2062 could include stricter \u2063regulations on foreign land ownership, enhanced vetting \u2062processes for foreign investors, and greater transparency \u2063in land transactions.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, \u2062the increasing trend of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/they-could-literally-starve-us-republicans-push-to-ban-china-from-purchasing-us-farmland\/\" title=\"'They Could Literally Starve Us': Republicans Push To Ban China From Purchasing US Farmland\">foreign entities purchasing<\/a> U.S. agricultural land raises significant concerns \u2064regarding\u2063 food security, environmental impact, and national security. While efforts have been made to\u2062 address this issue, further action is needed to ensure that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/states-considering-bans-while-china-linked-farmland-buyers-look-for-clarity-on-federal-regulations\/\" title=\"States mull bans as China-linked farmland buyers seek federal regulation clarity.\">foreign land \u200bownership<\/a>\u2064 is managed in a way that safeguards the interests of the United States. Striking a balance between economic growth and national security is crucial in \u2064finding a viable solution \u2063to \u200cthis complex issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 2020, foreigners acquired 3.4 million acres of U.S. farmland, representing almost 2% of the total land in the country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) revealed that as of December 31, 2022, foreign individuals possessed an interest in approximately 43.4 million acres of American agricultural land<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128,"featured_media":2129031,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2129030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2129030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/128"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2129030"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2129030\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2129031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2129030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2129030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2129030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}