U.S. Moves to Ban Chinese Farmland Purchases Over Security Concerns

The United States is taking aggressive new steps to keep foreign adversaries, especially China, from buying American farmland. Citing growing threats to both national security and the nation’s food supply, the Trump administration announced plans Tuesday to ban such purchases across the country.

Brooke Rollins, who leads the United States Department of Agriculture, said the government will use executive orders and work with state officials to quickly stop sales of farmland to buyers linked to China, Russia, Iran, and other nations seen as hostile. Rollins described the plan as a way to protect American agriculture from outside influence and potential espionage.

“With this announcement today, we are taking this purpose and our American farmland back,” Rollins said at a news conference. “American agriculture is not just about feeding our families but about protecting our nation.”

While Chinese investors currently own only a very small portion of U.S. farmland, less than 0.0003 percent, officials said even limited ownership near military bases could pose a risk. Much of that land is tied to Smithfield Foods, which was purchased in 2013 by the Chinese company WH Group. Smithfield stated that it has already sold off thousands of acres and stressed that most of its products are made and sold in the United States.

The announcement follows earlier moves by states like Arkansas, which forced a Chinese-owned seed company to sell its farmland and imposed fines for not disclosing ownership. Under the new federal plan, penalties for failing to report foreign purchases will rise sharply, up to 25 percent of a property’s value.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Department of Defense will also prohibit land sales to foreign buyers near military sites. Although there is no publicly confirmed evidence that Chinese firms have used farmland to spy on military operations, officials cited documented efforts by Chinese intelligence agencies to target American agriculture.

Lawmakers from both parties have been working on new laws to tighten oversight of foreign land deals. Recent proposals would create public records of foreign-owned farmland and trigger federal reviews of large purchases.

Senator Roger Marshall summed up the mood of many supporters of the plan: “China, here’s your ticket. Do not pass go. Get the hell off American agriculture.”

For now, the administration says it is ready to use every legal option to keep farmland in American hands.