Will More States Consider Restricting Foreign Ownership Of U.S. Farmland?

BROOKE BRADFORD

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS

   As foreign ownership of U.S. farmlands increases, will more states consider restrictions on such purchases? Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center will lay out the trends at the Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference on June 10.

   Pittman will be one of the speakers addressing the most compelling legal issues in food, environmental and agricultural law at the conference, which returns to an in-person format June 9-10 in Memphis. 

   See the agenda and register online.

   According to a 2020 USDA report, foreign persons hold an interest in nearly 37.6 million acres of private U.S. agricultural land, an increase of 2.4 million acres from 2019. Since 2015, foreign investments have increased an average of 2.2 million acres per year. 

   Foreign investors from Canada, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom represent 63 percent of all foreign agricultural landholdings in the U.S.

   The foreign investment has raised concerns. Over the past year, Missouri, Indiana, Texas, and Alabama have considered legislation that would restrict foreign investments and ownership of agricultural land within the boundaries of their state.

   “This is not a new concept, as more than a dozen states specifically forbid or limit certain foreign investments of agricultural land within their state,” Pittman said. “However, state laws vary widely, and some states restrict only certain purchases while allowing for at least some level of foreign ownership of agricultural land.

   “My June 10 update will take a deeper look at recent proposals and changes and what we might expect to see in the future,” he said.

   Continuing education available

   The conference has been approved for six hours of CLE in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee including one hour of ethics. It has been approved for 7.2 total hours of CLE in Missouri, including 1.2 hours of ethics. The American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers has approved this conference for seven hours of CE.

   Additionally, attendees who register by May 22 early bird deadline are also eligible for two “bonus” hours of online continuing education credit from the above organizations. ∆

   BROOKE BRADFORD: University of Aransas

 Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center, will speak about trends on legislation surrounding foreign ownership of farm land at the 2022 Mid-South   Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference.

 U of A System Division of Agriculture photo