Johnson Continues to Protect U.S. Farmland from Foreign Ownership

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), and John Moolenaar (R-MI) introduced the Farmland Security Act of 2023 to protect food security and national security by strengthening analysis of foreign ownership of American agricultural land.

“America’s farmland is highly sought after, not only by U.S. producers, but by individuals and companies around the world,” said Johnson. “If our ag land is sold into the wrong hands, we could face threats to our food security and national security. This bill puts provisions in place to give a more detailed analysis of who is buying our farmland so we can protect our rural communities, producers, food security, and national security.”

“When foreign investors buy up broad swaths of American farmland, our food access and national security are put at risk – all at a time when we import a significant chunk of the fruits and vegetables we consume each day,” said Gluesenkamp Perez. “This bipartisan legislation would help us maintain control over our food supply and ensure family farms across Southwest Washington don’t get squeezed out.”

“I am proud to introduce the Farmland Security Act to help protect Michigan farms and our food supply. This legislation promotes transparency to the American people on foreign shell corporations and increases penalties for foreign entities failing to accurately report their land ownership,” said Moolenaar. “Farmland is a vital asset for our food supply, economy, and national security. It is more important than ever that we have the structures in place to review and assess foreign ownership.”

Background:

The amount of foreign-owned U.S. agricultural land has increased significantly over the past ten years. Johnson cosponsors several bills to protect American farmland from foreign adversaries, such as the Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act, the Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act, and the Protecting U.S. Farmland and Sensitive Sites From Foreign Adversaries Act.

37.6 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, valued at over $60 billion, have been reported to the USDA as foreign investor owned. However, these figures are likely an underestimation as there is a lack of oversight for foreign investors who evade reporting requirements for domestic farmland purchases.

The Farmland Security Act of 2023 would:

• Impose new financial penalties on foreign owners or “shell companies” who fail to disclose or misreport their acreage;
• Require research into foreign ownership of agricultural production capacity and foreign participation in the U.S. agriculture economy; and
• Direct the USDA to conduct an annual compliance audit to better identify non-reporting foreign-owned ag land.

Companion legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).

View full bill text here.