USDA data: Foreign ownership of rural land has nearly tripled in past decade, to 10.9 million acres from 4.1 million

Acreage of foreign-owned cropland (including forests and pastures) by county. (USDA data mapped by The Daily Yonder for the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting; click the image to enlarge it or click here for the interactive version.)

"Foreign investment in U.S. cropland has nearly tripled in the past decade, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. The total cropland controlled by foreign interests in 2020 was 10.9 million acres, up from 4.1 million acres in 2010," Jonathan Hettinger reports for the Midwest Center for Investigative Journalism. "This increase has been largely driven by foreign-owned wind companies signing long-term leases on a large number of acres, according to the USDA. However, 'the acres actually utilized by said companies are very few due to the small footprint of the wind towers erected on the land,' a USDA report said."

Foreign investors own or lease 2.9% of the nation's overall agricultural land, more than 37 million acres that include forests and pastures. That's up from 24.2 million acres in 2010, says the report. However, the USDA's database of foreign farmland ownership has significant gaps, and more than 3.1 million acres of farmland don't have a listed owner, Hettinger reports.

"While the database has significant errors and often has incomplete information, it still is a strong indicator of the quantity of land being sold or leased to foreign interests," Hettinger reports. "This growing level of investment has sparked legislative action. Currently, three bills before Congress would require additional review of foreign investment. Also, 14 states restrict or prohibit foreign ownership of farmland, though none outright forbid it, according to a November memo by the Congressional Research Service."