Image Credit: USDA
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
The Trump Administration is making plans to ban Chinese ownership of farmland in the United States according to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
These plans are part of the administration’s seven-part initiative to strengthen farm security across the country by blocking “foreign countries of concern” from owning U.S. agricultural lands.
Rollins made the announcement during a recent event that took place outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) headquarters in Washington, D.C.
In Rollins’ words, the current administration will “take swift legislative and executive action to ban the purchase of American farmland by Chinese nationals and other foreign adversaries.”
Officials will even attempt to revoke U.S. agricultural lands already owned by China-backed entities.
The executive branch will be working with both state and local officials to “do everything within our ability, including presidential authorities, to claw back what has already been purchased by China and other foreign adversaries.”
Additionally, the U.S. food supply has been named a “national security issue” alongside energy and water by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) also spoke at the USDA event according to reports.
“Our farmland is not just dirt, it is our national security, it is our economic future, it is our children’s heritage,” said Gov. Lee. “And it is under threat, and the leaders here recognize that.”
The Tennessee governor has since signed a letter to Rollins in support of the new initiative.
“As America First Governors, we firmly stand together in our unwavering support of President Donald J. Trump and his administration’s National Farm Security Action Plan,” read the July 8th letter. “This plan is a critical and decisive response to the invasion of our land, food system, and sovereignty by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”
As of December 2023, Chinese investors were holding 277,336 acres in U.S. farmland across the country, according to USDA’s U.S. Foreign Owned Agricultural Lands Map.
That is a total of 167 land parcels throughout 117 counties across 30 different states, owned by Chinese investors, as of USDA’s most recent year-end foreign investments report.
The total amount of foreign-owned agricultural land in the U.S., not limited to Chinese investments, was 45,850,252 acres at that same time.
The Trump Administration’s new National Farm Security Plan outlines some of the following:
- Farm security is national security.
- U.S. farmers dominate the global industry.
- It is critical we continuously adapt our approach to American agriculture security and elevate it to the top echelon of national security priorities.
- The USDA, the Justice Department, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security will cooperate with state and local governments to block investment by foreign adversaries and create an online portal where farmers can report suspected foreign ownership.
- It will be made sure that foreign governments do not have access to USDA research grants or agricultural funding programs within other departments.
- The administration will find any vulnerabilities in the U.S. agricultural supply chain and work to make sure that crop and nutrition programs are not being used for nefarious purposes, cutting down on fraud and abuse.
- The administration is instructed to strengthen biosecurity measures.
In recent years, Tennessee state lawmakers have attempted to address the issue of foreign investors holding U.S. property, specifically within Tennessee state lines.
A foreign investment law passed in 2024 quickly garnered objections from various foreign investors and legal action on their behalf.
During Tennessee’s 2025 legislative session, lawmakers passed HB 219, requiring foreign persons, businesses, and governments, to report agriculture land investments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Agriculture Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978.
This new law was signed by Gov. Lee on Friday, May 2nd, and officially went into effect on Tuesday, July 1st.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
