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Fact check: What percentage of US farmland is owned by Chinese companies?
Executive Summary
The best available analyses in October 2025 show Chinese companies own a vanishingly small share of U.S. agricultural land — well under 1% of foreign‑owned farmland and far less than 0.5% of total U.S. agricultural acreage. Official USDA figures and recent university reporting converge on a figure of roughly 383,000 acres attributed to Chinese owners, placing China around 18th among foreign country owners in the U.S. (p1_s2, [1], published Oct 7, 2025; [2], [2], published Oct 6, 2025). These totals are rising concerns in policy debates despite their small scale. (Note: all figures cited are from October 2025 reporting.)
1. Why lawmakers are alarmed even when the numbers are tiny — the politics driving new restrictions
State lawmakers across multiple states have proposed bills to restrict foreign farmland ownership, citing national security and supply‑chain concerns even though Chinese ownership represents less than one percent of foreign‑held U.S. farmland. Michigan State University analysis and contemporaneous reporting framed these proposals as reactions to geopolitical tensions rather than responses to large land holdings, noting that lawmakers perceive strategic risk beyond raw acreage (p1_s1, Oct 6, 2025). The policy momentum therefore reflects political and security priorities, not an empirical epidemic of Chinese land accumulation.
2. How the USDA’s accounting places China in context — small but visible on the ledger
The USDA’s National Farm Security Action Plan lists China as the 18th largest foreign owner at roughly 383,000 acres, which the USDA and reporting note is less than half of 1% of total U.S. agricultural land and dwarfed by holdings from countries such as Canada (nearly 13 million acres). This presentation frames Chinese holdings as measurable and trackable but not large in the overall U.S. farmland picture (p1_s2, [1]; Oct 7, 2025). The USDA’s emphasis is on improved monitoring and a national plan rather than immediate large‑scale divestiture.
3. Independent academic counts corroborate the small share but flag upward trends
Michigan State University’s study echoed the USDA’s conclusion that Chinese corporate ownership is under 1% of foreign‑owned farmland, reinforcing the small absolute share while highlighting that foreign‑owned acreage overall has increased (p1_s1, [2]; Oct 6, 2025). Academic attention centers on data gaps and the need for better transparency; authors and advocates call for enhanced tracking because modest current totals could grow and because strategic concerns are not solely a function of acreage (p1_s3, Oct 7, 2025).
4. What advocates and industry groups are saying — demands for transparency and monitoring
Agricultural organizations and watchdogs have pointed to a 1.6 million acre increase in foreign‑owned agricultural land in recent reporting and urged stronger federal and state oversight to ensure national farm security and market integrity (p1_s3, Oct 7, 2025). These groups frame the issue around regulatory gaps and the pace of foreign acquisition, arguing for proactive tracking even while acknowledging China’s current share is small. Their push for policy change blends industry risk management with concerns about foreign influence.
5. Media and international reporting: different emphases, similar facts
International and U.S. media covering soybean markets and farm economics have emphasized China’s role as a trading partner rather than as a major landowner; several articles about export disruptions did not assert significant Chinese farmland ownership (p2_s1, [3]; Sept 15, 2025). When farmland ownership is addressed, reporting converges on the USDA and MSU numbers: small acreage, ranked around 18th, and politically sensitive, underscoring how narrative frames (trade shock vs. land security) shape public perception more than the ownership data itself (p2_s2, Oct 6, 2025).
6. Limits of the data: what the figures don’t reveal and why that matters
Existing tallies capture acreage labeled to Chinese entities but do not fully disclose beneficial ownership chains, lease arrangements, or non‑agricultural investments adjacent to farmland, gaps that analysts warn could mask influence not reflected by acreage totals (p1_s3, Oct 7, 2025). The USDA and academic studies therefore recommend strengthened reporting and monitoring to close transparency blind spots, because policy responses hinge on both current holdings and the potential for hidden or indirect control.
7. Bottom line — numbers, context, and policy implications for readers
In short, the data from early October 2025 consistently show Chinese companies own only a tiny fraction of U.S. farmland — roughly 383,000 acres and under 0.5% of total agricultural land — yet the issue has outsized political salience, driving state bills and federal policy planning (p1_s2, [1], [2]; Oct 6–7, 2025). Observers recommend improved tracking, clearer ownership disclosure, and calibrated policy responses that distinguish actual scale from perceived strategic risk, because the factual baseline does not by itself justify sweeping emergency measures.