Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a major overhaul of federal agricultural policy, which includes numerous provisions related to the supply chain, China, and national security. We break down the 850-page bill inside, and provide a bulleted list of the key national security provisions.
A new research report analyzing foreign real-estate data has found that the only effective national-security screening tool for agricultural land is the 100-mile zone in “Part 2” of the rules. According to the report, the one-mile threshold in “Part 1” is “functionally irrelevant” for agricultural land.
A U.S. Senator has proposed a bill that would publish geospatial data on foreign agriculture land acquisitions. The legislation would strengthen the foreign agricultural land reporting system, known as AFIDA, which has been under fire for several years. It would also lower reporting thresholds.
The USDA finally unveiled its long-promised online foreign-ownership reporting portal. The tool is supposed to be used by foreign entities to report investments and ownership of U.S. agricultural land, and insiders say it should “increase compliance” and assist with enforcement. Details, portal inside.
The state of Oklahoma has implemented a ban on land ownership by adversarial nations, including China. However, the legislation includes a carve-out for Smithfield Foods, an entity with Chinese ownership and extensive farmland in Oklahoma. Details and the provisions are inside.
Right before the new year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed changes to its foreign ownership reporting rules. The advanced notice of proposed rulemaking would impact AFIDA, which has been criticized as being outdated and incomplete. Details and the proposal are inside.
A research center on agriculture and food law has provided a nice quick update on the 2025 legislative developments in Idaho, Kentucky, Utah, and other states. According to the update, in 2025 “most states considered at least one bill aimed at enacting or amending a foreign ownership law.” Details inside.
Last week, the USDA announced a major initiative aimed at protecting U.S. farmland from national security risks. In addition to restricting foreign adversaries from buying farmland, the plan would reform AFIDA and re-evaluate existing ownership arrangements. Details, summary, more inside.
It was a big week for the House of Representatives, which passed 10 bills on a number of topics. Among those was the Agricultural Risk Review Act, which would, among other things, require CFIUS to consider referrals from the USDA whether certain agricultural land transactions merit greater scrutiny.
A new study on state legislation provides independent data on more than 140 bills and actions from 6,700 state legislators related to regulation of foreign ownership of U.S. farmland. According to the study, only 63 percent of related bills came from legislators associated with the Republican party.
A group of U.S. Senators have floated a bill that would expand CFIUS’s jurisdiction around military installations. Among other things, the bill would include real estate investments by foreign adversaries that are within 50 miles of certain military locations, like training routes. Details inside.
Three U.S. Senators have reintroduced legislation would prevent any Chinese individual or business with ties to the Chinese Communist Party from owning American land. The proposal echoes recent law in Florida, the enforcement of which was later prohibited by a U.S. Court of Appeals. Details inside.
For the eleventh time (at least by our count), Congressional leaders have floated a bill that would add the Secretary of Agriculture to CFIUS. The updated version of The FARM Act would also designate agricultural supply chains as critical infrastructure and critical tech. Details inside.
Much has been made of the fact that the new Consolidated Appropriations Act adds the Secretary of Agriculture as a “permanent” member of CFIUS. But that’s misleading; in fact, the Act says that the Agriculture Secretary can be included as a member of CFIUS on a “case by case basis.” Insights inside.
Well, that didn’t take long. Fresh on the heels of a GAO report about flawed data regarding foreign agricultural transactions in the U.S., a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders have proposed a bill that would improve the tracking of foreign investment in farmland. Details, draft inside.
According to a new report, U.S. data on foreign investments in agricultural land are outdated and incomplete. As a result, “CFIUS does not currently have regular and timely access” to the data for national security reviews. Details, the report, context, and recommendations are inside.
Five members of Congress have floated a bipartisan bill to protect national security by preventing foreign adversaries from taking control of U.S. agricultural land and businesses. We provide a wrap-up of the effort to date, and how the latest legislative proposal differs from other efforts.
A member of the Wyoming state legislature has proposed a bill that would ban foreign citizens and companies from owning agricultural land in the state. The move is the latest in a series of state actions that may run counter to the judgment of Congress. Details, and why it matters, are inside.
A group of Republican Congressional leaders has introduced legislation aimed at addressing the national-security threat of “foreign adversaries” acquiring U.S. agricultural land. The bill would expand the foreign-holding information reported to the U.S. government. Details, context, full bill inside.
Citing “inaccuracies” in foreign investment data collected by the Department of Agriculture, more than 100 U.S. House Republicans have asked the Government Accountability Office to study foreign investment in U.S. farmland, and its impact on national security. Details and the letter are inside.