News

Rep. Hinson seeks federal foreign ag land ownership solution

U.S. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says the U.S. needs a federal solution that bans purchases of American farmland by foreign entities.

The Iowa Republican says she’s specifically concerned about purchases made by China. “It is a land grab to gain access to national security information and to exert control over our food supply chain.”

Hinson says she supports a number of bills including the No American Land for the Chinese Communist Party Act. “I’ve also been working to make sure the secretary of agriculture is part of CFIUS with treasury. We need to ensure we are closing any loopholes exploited by our adversaries to buy up U.S. land.”

She says Iowa has been a leader on the issue. “We have a lot of laws on the books to prevent foreign ag acquisition in our state. I think we have a strong state law that needs to be coupled with a better federal strategy.”

Hinson says Iowa’s congressional delegation has asked USDA to streamline its electronic submission process that tracks foreign investment disclosures.