Several states have already banned or are considering banning foreign ownership of farmland from U.S. adversaries such as China, a trend that has its recent roots in North Dakota.
Chinese food manufacturer Fufeng Group purchased 370 acres of land for a corn milling plant in Grand Forks in November 2021.
By January 2023, the Grand Forks City Council announced it would deny building permits for the plant, killing the project 12 miles from the Grand Forks Air Force Base.
The pressure came from state and federal officials concerned about the proposed plant's ties to China and its proximity to the base. A report from the Air Force that officially called the purchase of the land a "threat to national security" sealed the transaction's fate.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 40.8 million acres of U.S. farmland is owned by foreign citizens, companies or countries as of 2021. China owned about 384,000 acres of U.S. farmland.
While the Grand Forks plan is dead, states' efforts to prevent China and other communist countries from owning land are ongoing.
North Dakota lawmakers this session passed a bill that prevents city or county governments from entering into land deals with foreign adversaries. Other legislators have also introduced or passed bills dealing with foreign ownership of agricultural land.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was one of the first governors to ban the Chinese-owned app TikTok from state-owned devices, but her push to ban the country and others from purchasing land was not as successful.
The state banned aliens from owning more than 160 acres of land in 1979. Lawmakers wanted to establish the "Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States – South Dakota," which would scrutinize all foreign farmland purchases.
Senate Bill 185 failed to make it out of the Senate.
Republicans in Arizona also failed to pass a bill banning foreign entities from owning land in their state. It passed the Senate but did not garner enough votes in the House.
Other states are having more success with passing similar legislation.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed Senate Bill 203 this session that bans land purchases by what it refers to as "foreign adversaries," defined as "any foreign government or foreign non government person determined by the U.S. secretary of commerce to have engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States
Source: news-journal.com
Photo Credit: gettyimages-skyf
Categories: South Dakota, General, Government & Policy