CRS Report on Foreign Ownership of US Agricultural Land and AFIDA, Overview and Issues

A Government Accountability Office report examined foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land from 2017 to 2024. Foreign holdings of this land increased by more than 2.4 million acres annually. Members of Congress expressed concerns about national security regarding foreign investments near military sites and supply chains.

Legislation on Foreign Land Ownership

Members of Congress introduced legislation to change AFIDA. These proposals aimed to amend data collection or restrict foreign ownership of agricultural land. The House-passed farm bill would change AFIDA disclosure rules and civil penalties. The Senate committee reported Agricultural Act proposed changes to reporting requirements and penalties. States and localities have introduced laws restricting foreign ownership but approaches vary. Foreign holdings of U.S. agricultural land increased since 2017. Foreign holdings grew by an average of over 2.4 million acres annually from 1.3 million acres to nearly 3.4 million acres per year.

Foreign Ownership of U.S. Farm Land

Members introduced proposals to change reporting rules for foreign investment in U.S. agricultural land. These proposals sought to restrict foreign ownership by adversaries. Federal law does not prohibit foreign persons from buying U.S. agricultural land. The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act requires foreign persons to report involvement in most agricultural land transactions within 90 days. USDA data showed foreign persons held interests in over 47 million acres of U.S. agricultural land as of December 31, 2024. This represented 3.6% of all privately owned agricultural land.

Foreign Ownership of U.S. Farmland

Five countries accounted for about 61% of foreign-owned U.S. agricultural land in 2024. Canada held 34% of these holdings. The Netherlands held 10%. Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom each held 6%. Other countries with holdings over 500,000 acres included Portugal, France, Denmark, Luxembourg, Mexico, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Singapore, Sweden, and Japan. Approximately 6% of reported foreign-held acres were from a country not listed. China reported owning 247,659 acres. Iran reported 547 acres. Russia reported 11 acres. North Korea reported 0 acres.

The report, Foreign Ownership of U.S. Agricultural Land and AFIDA: Overview and Issues (R49515), by Zachary T. Neuhofer, is dated November 10, 2026. Read it on Congress.gov.