The upcoming House farm bill will contain measures to prevent foreign entities like China from seizing American farmland in a major victory for national security, a Republican who helped secure the provisions told DailyMail.com.
Foreign entities own a total of 40 million acres of U.S. farmland, and China has purchased nearly 347,000 acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Now lawmakers are working to further restrict China and other adversaries from seizing coveted land in the fiscal 2024 ‘Farm Bill.’
Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, who represents an agricultural-heavy district, says stopping China is critical to protecting U.S. food supply chains and bolstering national security.
“Communist China should not be allowed to buy another acre of American farmland, nor should we be dependent on our biggest foreign adversary for key parts of our food supply chain,” Hinson exclusively told DailyMail.com.
Chinese entities own agricultural land in 29 of the 50 US states, totaling 347,000 acres.
Chinese purchases of land near major U.S. military installations have been of particular concern to lawmakers and government officials.
In 2022, for example, China-based food producer Fufeng Group acquired 300 acres of land in Grand Forks, just 20 minutes from Grand Forks Air Force Base, where some of the company’s technology is located. most sensitive drones in the country. .
Air Force Maj. Jeremy Fox wrote a memo that year characterizing the move as emblematic of Chinese efforts to set up shop near sensitive U.S. defense facilities.
He maintained that Fufeng’s property is located in the right place for the company to intercept communications coming from the Air Force base.
Now, lawmakers are taking steps to combat these cases using the Farm Bill.
One of the victories Hinson says will be in the bill are reforms to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA).
Those improvements would help the government more easily track purchases of U.S. farmland by foreign entities.
It will now also impose minimal penalties on people who intentionally file false AFIDA returns.
As highlighted in the January GAO report, the USDA previously tracked foreign purchases of agricultural land using paper forms.
The Farm Bill now includes language to create an online submission form where the USDA can better track shipments.
The land that Fufeng Group purchased is 20 minutes, approximately 16 miles, from Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Chinese companies own 346,915 acres of US farmland in December 2022
Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, touted reforms to the House Farm Bill that would further restrict the purchase of U.S. farmland by foreign entities.
The measure will also require USDA to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to ensure the timely exchange of data on international land purchases.
CFIUS is an interagency committee dedicated to reviewing the implications of foreign investment in the United States, and works closely with the intelligence community to ensure that the integrity of such agreements do not present threats to national security.
The new House Farm Bill would also establish a position dedicated to auditing and overseeing AFIDA-related activities called the Chief of Investigative Actions Operations, which would report to CFIUS on land acquisitions that could pose a threat to national security.
Hinson, who serves on the House China Select Committee, helped ensure that reports of farmland purchases by citizens or entities with ties to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea or other state sponsors of the terrorism identify potential threats to the United States.
The Farm Bill also includes language from the Hinson American Agriculture Protection Act that would relocate production of vitamins and ingredients needed for livestock and agricultural production.
Much of those resources rely heavily on Chinese supply lines to sustain themselves, which Iowan said poses risks to the US.
The current version of the bill passed the House Agriculture Committee by a 33-21 vote last week.
Under the new reforms, USDA will create an online filing portal for filings under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA).
Foreign countries own at least 40 million acres of American farmland, pastures and forests, which officials say “may have national security implications.” However, a watchdog said the government is not “reliably” tracking data on landowners. Only farmland ownership is shown in the photo.
A Chinese billionaire owns seven percent of all land in Val Verde County in Texas
Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., celebrated the committee’s passage of the bill with bipartisan support, saying in a statement last week: “Great things can be accomplished when you don’t surround yourself with red lines, and I am eager to “Continue our work with whoever wants to sit at the table.”
Hinson also welcomed the committee’s approval of the bill.
“I was proud to work with Chairman Thompson to ensure that initiatives to restore our food supply chain and prevent communist China from purchasing our lands were included in the House Farm Bill.”
“Food security is national security, and this Farm Bill reinforces both.”