Who Really Owns America's Farms?

An organization has discovered that foreign investments in American farms have tripled over the last 10 years. Joe Maxwell, the co-founder of Farm Action, has advocated for Congress to pass tighter laws concerning foreigners' ability to purchase American farmland. The need for these laws became apparent especially after the COVID-19 pandemic displayed the true sensitivity of the international supply chain through shortages.

Why does this matter? The issue poses some national security threats to American farmers and their buyers. Joe Maxwell says that these investors are not making these purchases for the production value of the land or to produce food, but instead as a financial investment. These investments will continue to drive land prices up for American farmers looking to buy land and produce food.

Big Picture: Foreign involvement in American farmlands has tripled over the last ten years, meaning that you may not be supporting American farms as you thought you were. The government has failed to address the issue.