The ranking member of the House Agricultural Committee Rep. G. T. Thompson (R-PA) and Rep. James Comer (R-KY) ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform have addressed a letter to the General Accountability Office to conduct a study on foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land.  The letter requests the GAO to quantify ownership, location and type of land; to investigate data collection by the Farm Service Agency; to determine specific land usage and to confirm that foreign ownership of land does not impact national security.

Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have introduced the Farmland Security Act to enforce disclosure by foreign entities intending to purchase U.S. farmland.  This legislation also incorporates reporting on the impact of foreign ownership on both communities and the domestic food supply. Senator Grassley noted that in 2020 foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land increased by 2.4 million acres representing a threat to young farmers desirous of purchasing land.

The signatories to the GAO letter noted, “This growing trend of foreign purchase has elevated concerns regarding national security at a time of uncertainty that is already compounded by challenges to our supply chain infrastructure, high input cost for farms and geopolitical pressures”.

The national security component was highlighted by a recent intended acquisition of a tract of land in North Dakota close to an airbase and a second intended purchase in Texas also located near a military installation.