(NewsNation) — Foreigners own nearly 2% of all land in the U.S., including more than three million acres of farmland purchased just in the past year, according to a new statistic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The trend has raised concerns in rural communities across the country as some states have tried to prevent foreign entities from buying farmland.
Much of the U.S. land owned by foreigners is agricultural, including farms and timber-rich properties.
As of Dec. 31, 2022, foreign investors held an interest in over 43.4 million acres of agricultural land. Forest land accounted for over 48%, over 28% was accounted for by cropland and 21% was land for pasture and other agricultural needs.
One Indiana chicken farmer says the numbers should be disturbing to every American.
“We have to be very concerned about it. You know, almost 30% of our meat production in the United States is controlled by foreign interests right now. And so it’s not 2% it’s 30%. In terms in terms of meat, we have to be very careful. We have to have a safe supply of food that is for Americans,” said farmer John Rust, who is also running for U.S. Senate.
In November, a small Michigan town voted to oust their entire council after they approved a controversial project for a Chinese-affiliated company to build an electric battery plant in the community.
“Everyone’s entitled to an opinion, and guess what China’s is? They don’t like us. They don’t like us, that’s their opinion,” said a Green Charter Township resident during a public forum.
According to the USDA report, Canadian investors own the largest amount of reported foreign-held agricultural land and non-agricultural land with 32% or 14.2 million acres.