We grow enough food to feed all Americans and others besides.
—
That used to be true decades ago, but now the US is a net importer of food. Like manufacturing we got rid of most family farms and ranches using zoning, property and inheritance taxes, ESA regulations, and many other laws. The same applies to commercial fishing, which used to be the third largest source in the nation’s balance of trade income.
We are now a service and software economy. Food is grown and packaged in the rear of grocery stores. Only Facebook and Google are the mentors of the young.
China produces a lot of agricultural products but they also have 1bn+ citizens. In fact I read that about 300MM of the Chinese workforce is focused on agriculture. That doesn't ipso facto mean they're driving up global food prices. Also, they are a massive producer of rice, while America isn't a massive rice consumer.
In addition, America remains a net exporter of agricultural products Most of our trade is with Canada and Mexico and the EU. The US remains an importer of specialty goods such as coffee/cocoa/spices and fish/shellfish products as well as fresh fruits and fruit juices and almost a third of wine and sugar.
Sounds like hysteria.
I got a chill up my spine when I read about Bill Gates buying up all kinds of ranch land. Why? Being a pessimist by nature, my first thought was that he was going to end up restricting use of these lands for ranching or farming. I think he is a vegan, so he probably thinks everyone should be a vegan.