A recent map has revealed the alarming trend of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) acquiring vast swaths of American farmland, raising serious national security concerns.
Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land expanded to approximately 43.4 million acres in 2022, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
According to the USDA, Chinese investors’ ownership of U.S. agricultural land has skyrocketed from merely 13,720 acres in 2010 to an astounding 346,915 acres by 2022 out of the 43 million acres.
Chinese entities hold ownership of farmland across 29 of the 50 U.S. states.
According to the data reviewed by The Gateway Pundit, Canadian investors hold the largest share of foreign-owned agricultural and non-agricultural land in the U.S., owning 32 percent or 14.2 million acres.
Additionally, investors from four other countries—Netherlands (12 percent), Italy (6 percent), the United Kingdom (6 percent), and Germany (5 percent)—together possess another 13 million acres, accounting for 29 percent of all foreign-held land in the U.S.
The remaining 38 percent, or 17.1 million acres, are owned by various other countries. For instance, China owns 346,915 acres, representing just under 1 percent of the foreign-held acres.
Despite Chinese entities owning less than 1 percent of the foreign-held agricultural land in the U.S., the topic has garnered significant attention.
According to USDA:
Chinese primary-investor filers reported owning 346,915 acres of agricultural land as of December 31, 2022.
Two Chinese-owned companies—Brazos Highland Properties, LP and Murphy Brown LLC (Smithfield Foods)—reported 102,345 acres and 97,975 acres, respectively, and were by far the largest Chinese reporters.
Other top Chinese-owned reporters were Murphy Brown of Missouri (Smithfield Foods) (42,716 acres); Harvest Texas, LLC (29,705 acres); and Walton International Group (USA), Inc. (29,437 acres) (Report 10).
These five companies accounted for 87 percent of all reported Chinese holdings. There were no filings directly by the government of China. Chinese investments in U.S. agricultural land are spread across the country (figure 4).
The states with the largest Chinese holdings are Texas (159,640 acres); North Carolina (44,776 acres); Missouri (43,071 acres); Utah (32,447 acres); and Virginia (14,382 acres) (Report 11).
Together, these five states had 85 percent of Chinese filings associated with U.S. agricultural land. In Texas, in particular, long-term leases associated with wind energy investment predominate, while land ownership tends to be more common in other states.
Chinese entities acquiring farmland in close proximity to critical U.S. military installations have sparked growing concerns, posing potential national security risks.
An alarming instance involves a Chinese company, Fufeng USA, acquiring 365 acres of farmland near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.
The parcel of land’s location near a US Air Force base that houses sensitive drone technology has lawmakers on Capitol Hill worried about potential espionage by Beijing.
The Fufeng Group also purchased a corn mill near Grand Forks. Local citizens are rightly concerned with this new project in their backyard.
Also, a report by CNN in 2022 revealed China has placed Huawei equipment atop cell towers on purchased farm land near US military bases in the Midwest capable of disrupting service and capturing signals.
“Among the most alarming things the FBI uncovered pertains to Chinese-made Huawei equipment atop cell towers near US military bases in the rural Midwest. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the FBI determined the equipment was capable of capturing and disrupting highly restricted Defense Department communications, including those used by US Strategic Command, which oversees the country’s nuclear weapons,” the outlet reported.
The Gateway Pundit reported that starting in 2015, a Chinese real estate development company called China Oceanwide Holdings began buying land on Oahu in the Hawaii Islands just ten miles west of the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor.
The stated intent of the land purchases was to build a luxury hotel and homes, but nothing was ever built, even though China Oceanwide had accumulated land worth over 500 million dollars in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor.
A rising number of states are taking action or have already enacted legislation to prohibit “foreign adversaries” and foreign entities—particularly China—from purchasing farmland.
As of 2024, several U.S. states have enacted or are in the process of enacting laws that restrict or ban foreign ownership of land. These states have primarily targeted countries perceived as national security threats.
Here is a list of 24 states with such restrictions, according to Mother Jones.
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Washington
These states have various laws in place, ranging from complete bans on foreign ownership of agricultural land to restrictions based on national security concerns regarding specific countries, such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The motivation behind these laws includes protecting food security, preventing espionage, and safeguarding critical infrastructure.
Congress is also advancing legislation that aims to address the issue at the federal level.
“Communist China shouldn’t be allowed to buy another acre of American farmland, nor should we rely upon our top foreign adversary for key parts of our food supply chain. Food security is national security!” Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) wrote on X.
Communist China shouldn’t be allowed to buy another acre of American farmland, nor should we rely upon our top foreign adversary for key parts of our food supply chain.
Food security is national security!https://t.co/aduwyjP0SD
— Ashley Hinson (@RepAshleyHinson) May 29, 2024
Hinson has introduced an amendment to the 2024 Farm Bill within the House Agriculture Committee that aims to limit foreign acquisitions of U.S. farmland. She asserts that such measures are crucial for safeguarding American food security, the Daily Mail reported.
In February 2023, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced the “Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People’s Republic of China Act,” which would prohibit the purchase of public or private agricultural land in the U.S. by foreign nationals associated with the CCP.
“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a threat to American democracy. The United States is engaged in a great power struggle with the CCP, and we must respond with tough policies that will protect our farmland and food supply chain,” said Rep. Newhouse.
“We should be taking every action we can to strengthen our domestic production while preventing our nation’s strongest adversaries from having an advantage over our supply chain. I am proud to introduce this legislation alongside many of my House colleagues to keep the CCP from gaining a foothold from within our own borders.”
