On July 8, 2025, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a sweeping initiative designed to block Chinese ownership of American farmland, citing national security risks. Speaking outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture alongside Cabinet members, Republican governors, and congressional leaders, Rollins detailed the National Farm Security Action Plan, a seven-point strategy to bolster the protection of U.S. agricultural resources, writes The Springfield News-Leader.
Rollins declared the administration would “take swift legislative and executive action to ban the purchase of American farmland by Chinese nationals and other foreign adversaries.” She emphasized cooperation across government levels, stating the administration would engage with state and local officials “to do everything within our ability, including presidential authorities, to claw back what has already been purchased by China and other foreign adversaries.”
According to the USDA’s official outline, the policy is grounded in the belief that “farm security is national security.” The document further stresses the global leadership role of American farmers, stating, “Because that dominance is earned and not assured, it is critical we continuously adapt our approach to American agriculture security and elevate it to the top echelon of national security priorities.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reinforced the policy’s significance, calling the nation’s food supply “a national security issue on par with energy and water supplies.” The plan involves restricting investments by foreign adversaries, launching an online reporting system for farmers to flag potential foreign ownership, and strengthening biosecurity. Additionally, it aims to block foreign governments from accessing USDA research funding and protect agricultural infrastructure.
Republican governors expressed firm support. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated, “A country has to be able to feed itself, fuel itself, and fight for itself to truly be free.” Tennessee Governor Bill Lee remarked, “Our farmland is not just dirt, it is our national security, it is our economic future, it is our children’s heritage.” Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen shared his state’s proactive steps against Chinese-owned entities, asserting, “My suggestion would be to leave. My suggestion would be to get a different job.”
USDA’s 2023 report shows Chinese-linked investors hold approximately
The initiative specifically addresses controversial transactions, such as the 2013 acquisition of Smithfield Foods by China’s WH Group, involving over 40,000 acres in northern Missouri. A federal ban could mandate divestment, aligning with existing state-level restrictions, like Missouri’s 1% limit on foreign farmland ownership.
Last year, New Conservative Post noted that a mysterious company allegedly connected to China had begun buying up thousands of acres of dry farmland near Travis Air Force Base near San Francisco.
‘Nobody can figure out who they are,” Ronald Kott, mayor of nearby Rio Vista, which is now largely surrounded by Flannery land, The newspaper reported. “Whatever they’re doing – this looks like a very long-term play.”
A Travis Air Force Base spokesperson “acknowledged their awareness of the land purchases near the base and assured that they are actively collaborating with other agencies to gather more information,” the outlet reported at the time.
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No land or property can belong to anybody without the property purchase being registered with the “Register of Deeds” within every county in U.S. territory. Land Property purchased using surrogates or proxies or hidden owners is strictly invalid. Property deemed to be owned in any illegal manner is open to “confiscation” by the Department of the Interior. Any property currently owned by any Chinese Nationals can have the transactions reversed. Any property owned by a non American citizen can be confiscated and the transaction reversed. This action is called “nationalization”.