In an out-of-the-blue comment on X (formerly Twitter), former National Football League (NFL) star quarterback Brett Farve commented on the matter of individuals, companies, and Chinese Communist Party-connected entities buying up American farmland, saying that it is high time America takes its farmland back from China.
As background, back in 2022, investigative journalist Sara Carter found that a report from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated that those PRC entities and individuals owned about 192,000 acres of U.S. land in 2019, but that the number grew dramatically in the years since, with the same types buying a collective $6.1 billion more in American land.
Adding to the worrisome nature of the matter is that some of the Chinese-owned farmland is located near American military bases and similarly sensitive sites. For example, one Chinese-owned plot of 370 acres is located near America’s Grand Forks Air Force Base, and another plot is located near Laughlin Air Base.
Lee Zeldin, posting on X about the matter in September of 2024, said, “China owns 349,442 acres of farmland in the US — up 82% over 3 years. The choice for voters is clear: A Trump-Vance admin to protect our food supply, farmers, and critical infrastructure; or a Harris-Walz admin to coddle and embolden the Chinese Communist Party.”
In any case, a post from the “Donald J Trump News” X account said, in a post that has gotten 1.6 million views as of the time this article was written, using the 2019 estimate of Chinese land from Carter and the USDA, “🚨Do you think China should forfeit their 192,000 acres of US farmland and banned from purchasing more? A. YES B. NO.”
It was to that post that Farve responded, which he did in a quote-tweet of the original post. Commenting on the matter in his quote tweet post, Farve noted that nearly 200,000 acres is a massive amount of land that should be owned by Americans, not foreigners. He said, “That’s a ton of land. If true, Americans should own American farmland.” Watch Zeldin comment on the land ownership issue here:
Commenting on Farve’s post, many people agreed, saying things like “How the hell is this even a question?! American land ONLY for Americans,” “Almost no other developed countries allow foreiners to own land this way,” “Foreign governments should not own American land exceeding for their embassies.” and “And it’s very interesting how much of it is right next to our most important military bases. Funny coincidence. 🙄”
Another commenter on Farve’s post noted that the entire problem and situation are utterly bizarre, saying, “I’m not exactly sure why this is even a thing. So in order to buy land in America, you are not required to be American by citizenship or dual citizenship? Or on a corporate level, the United States is not required to be the country listed on Articles of Incorporation?”
Providing a somewhat different perspective, however, another commenter noted that of foreign land ownership in America, China, or more actually Chinese citizens, is actually a relatively small owner. That commenter said, “Here’s a breakdown of the largest foreign entities by country owning land in America: Canada: Owns the most foreign-held land, accounting for 32% of total foreign-owned land in the U.S., which translates to about 12.4 million acres. The Irving Family is a notable example, with significant land holdings in Maine. Netherlands: Owns 12% of foreign-held land in the U.S., with investments primarily in agricultural and forest lands. Italy: Holds 6% of foreign-owned land, with a focus on cropland and some in renewable energy projects like wind farms. United Kingdom: Also with 6% of the foreign land, known for investments in various sectors including mining and energy. Germany: Accounts for 5% of foreign-owned land, with interests similar to Italy, focusing on agricultural and renewable energy sectors.
China: Despite being a focal point of discussion, China owns less than 1% of the foreign-held land in the U.S., with around 384,235 acres reported. Notable is the ownership by Chen Tianqiao in Oregon. These percentages are based on the total foreign-held acres and give an idea of the landscape of foreign investment in U.S. land. Remember, the universe of land ownership is vast and ever-changing, much like the universe itself.”
Featured image credit: By Chief Mass Communication Specialist Eric Durie, USN – http://www.navy.mil/list_single.asp?id=66264, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5401217
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