Jul 9, 2025

USDA takes ‘bold action’ to ban Chinese farmland ownership, elevate farm security

The USDA launched its National Farm Security Action Plan on July 8 during a cabinet-level event aimed at barring China and other “foreign adversaries” from acquiring U.S. farmland, signaling a new front in national and food-security policy.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins framed the initiative as a defense measure, stating “farm security is national security.” USDA calls it a “historic plan” that “elevates American agriculture as a key element of our nation’s national security, addressing urgent threats from foreign adversaries and strengthening the resilience of our nation’s food and agricultural systems.”

Rollins, joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, unveiled the National Farm Security Action Plan’s seven strategic pillars, which are designed to shield farmland, strengthen supply chains and protect American producers.

“The first of the seven is securing and protecting American farmland ownership, actively engaging at every level of government to take swift legislative and executive action to ban the purchase of American farmland by Chinese nationals and other foreign adversaries,” Rollins said at Tuesday’s press briefing.

Rollins also confirmed the USDA will seek to reclaim previously purchased farmland, saying efforts “involve using presidential authorities to reclaim farmland in the U.S. that is now owned by foreign adversaries.”

Defense Secretary Hegseth emphasized the plan’s impact on military readiness.

“As someone who’s charged with leading the Defense Department, I want to know who owns the land around our bases and strategic bases… That’s something I should be paying attention to,” he said. “No longer can foreign adversaries assume we’re not watching and we’re not paying attention and we’re not doing something about it — because we are.”

Rollins underscored the USDA’s progress to date: contracts with “entities in foreign countries of concern” were already canceled, and hundreds of foreign-linked businesses have been removed from USDA programs, actions she described as part of the broader crackdown .

Though Chinese ownership constitutes only about 265,000 acres — under 0.03% of U.S. farmland — concerns persist over their proximity to military installations. Officials argue this small footprint can still pose risks.

Attorney General Bondi emphasized legal enforcement.

“Farm security is national security. The Department of Justice will continue working to prosecute those who threaten American agriculture, investigate cases of potential agro-terrorism and protect America’s farmers from illegal threats at home and abroad,” said Bondi during the briefing.

Describing the move as “aggressive action,” USDA outlined the National Farm Security Action Plan’s seven key focus areas:

• Secure and protect American farmland by addressing foreign ownership “head on,” ensuring full transparency and tougher penalties.
• Enhance agricultural supply chain resilience by refocusing domestic investment and identifying non-adversarial partners for key inputs.
• Protect the U.S. nutrition safety net from fraud, abuse and foreign adversaries by ensuring that funds across USDA’s nutrition programs, such as SNAP, are preserved for U.S. citizens in need.
• Defend agricultural research and innovation from foreign influence, intellectual property theft, forced technology transfers and agroterrorism threats.
• Put America first in every USDA program, from farm loans to food safety.
• Safeguard plant and animal health by cracking down on bio-threats before they reach U.S. soil.
• Protect critical infrastructure, with farms, food systems and supply chains treated as national security assets.

The plan has gained bipartisan support from Congress and in at least 26 states that already restrict foreign farmland ownership. USDA is preparing new regulations and pushing for a presidential executive order to fully implement the action plan.