Posted on 02/23/2026 1:53:46 AM PST by Libloather
Millions of acres of farmland across the country are privately owned, but a small share of it is foreign-owned land sitting idle in many areas.
That’s according to new U.S. Department of Agriculture data which shows just how much of the nation’s agricultural land is owned by other countries.
The USDA‘s online portal reveals that more than 45 million acres of land are owned by foreign countries, with an original purchase value of over $38 billion. Our neighbor to the north, Canada, has the most agricultural acreage in the United States, at 15.35 million acres.
John Hewlett, a farm and ranch economics management specialist at the University of Wyoming, doesn’t find this surprising. Rather, he points out that not many know this farm fact.
“Many people are surprised to learn that Canada is by far the largest foreign holder of U.S. land (owning about 33% of the foreign total),” Hewlett tells Realtor.com®. “Followed by the Netherlands and Italy. Because these are long-standing allies, their ownership of timberland or wind farms rarely causes a stir.”
The Netherlands owns 5,197,940 acres of agricultural land, and Italy owns more than 2.7 million acres.
Whether this is a concern or not when it comes to agricultural land owned by foreigners, Hewlett says the “who” depends on what they are trying to protect.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
That’s only the beginning. Some are being paid not to use that land by the government. Foreign landowners can receive U.S. federal agricultural subsidies, provided they meet specific eligibility requirements, such as being “actively engaged in farming” and possessing a U.S. taxpayer ID. So it’s really more than just the land worth. Very simple.
wy69
CRP for foreign owned land must stop.
You nailed it.
EC
That’s according to new U.S. Department of Agriculture data which shows just how much of the nation’s agricultural land is owned by other countries.
That’s criminal! code word for D.C. .
The land where cash flow never ends.
“more than 45 million acres of land are owned by foreign countries, with an original purchase value of over $38 billion.”
All of this land should be repurchased and put into production by American farmers. Not Canadians or Chinese.
Take it away from them, F them!
No foreign entity should own American land.
If they want to rent something, that’s an option. But owning it??? NO!!!
yeah
increase the supply
same demand
And the farmer makes even less than he does now
“CRP for foreign owned land must stop.”
I agree with you but to do that all subsidies would have to stop but there is so much of it the numbers are astronomical. And it is far more than just agricultural. It’s serious business or the locals and a foot in the door to foreign interests like China.
Federal subsidies and grants for programs, including healthcare, social services, and education, amount to over $1 trillion annually, representing roughly 18-20% of total federal spending. Federal agricultural subsidies alone exceed $30 billion annually.
As long as foreign interests can purchase land and do some farming in the country it is going to continue. And to make matters worse, it is part of our foreign diplomacy.
A good article on this is here:
https://nationalaglawcenter.org/foreign-ownership-of-agricultural-land-a-legislative-roadmap-primer/
wy69
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.