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Ernst wants to see foreign ag land ownership addressed in farm bill

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst would like to see the Ag Foreign Disclosure Act modernized. The legislation requires foreign ag landowners to report the transactions to USDA within 90 days.

During the Senate Ag Committee’s farm bill hearing on Thursday, Ernst asked FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux what was needed for FSA to better enforce the act. Ducheneaux said there’s not a lot of enforcement tools against foreign owners for not coming in to fill out paperwork.

“We’re going to need resource if this is a job we are tasked with. We’re good at picking it up and running with it. If we can get the resources to do this properly and the cooperation across the federal family, we’re ready to do it.”

Ernst says in 2023, it shouldn’t be a paper-based program. She also says foreign persons hold interest in 40 million acres of U.S. ag land, more acres of ag land than the entire state of Iowa.

“I think this is something that really needs to be worked on. Food security is national security.”

Ernst has said she would like foreign ag land ownership to be addressed in the next farm bill. There are also several state legislatures, including Missouri and South Dakota, considering legislation on foreign ag land ownership.