H.R. 1920 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, Foreign Affairs, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned, Mar 6, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryTightens rules on foreign farmland purchases
This bill gives the federal government more power to review and oversee when foreign investors buy agricultural land in the U.S. It requires CFIUS, the committee that watches for national security risks in foreign investments, to review farmland sales over $5 million or 320 acres. The bill also adds the Agriculture Secretary and Food and Drug Commissioner to that committee, strengthens enforcement of existing rules about foreign farmland ownership, and creates a federal database to track which agricultural land is owned by foreign persons.
How it affects you
If you're a foreign investor looking to buy U.S. farmland, your purchase would face federal review and restrictions. Domestic farmers and landowners aren't directly affected by these rules. The changes are meant to give the government more oversight of foreign ownership of American agricultural land for national security reasons.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Mar 6, 2025)
Foreign Agricultural Restrictions to Maintain Local Agriculture and National Defense Act of 2025 or the FARMLAND Act of 2025
This bill expands federal authority and oversight over foreign investments in the U.S. agricultural industry.
The bill expands the authority of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to include the review of land transactions (involving foreign entities) that exceed $5 million or 320 acres of land over the preceding three years. This applies to land that is primarily used for agriculture, the extraction of energy sources, or the extraction of critical precursor materials for biological technology industries, information technology components, or national defense technologies. Further, the bill adds the Secretary of Agriculture and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to CFIUS membership. As background, CFIUS is an interagency committee that oversees the national security risks of certain foreign direct investment in the U.S. economy, including by reviewing certain real estate transactions.
Further, the bill expands enforcement of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA). The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must appoint a Chief of Operations of Investigative Actions to (1) monitor AFIDA compliance, and (2) conduct investigations on efforts to steal agricultural knowledge and technology and to disrupt the U.S. agricultural base.
The bill prohibits foreign persons who own or operate land from participating in Farm Service Agency programs and establishes penalties for violators.
The bill also requires USDA and the Department of Homeland Security to jointly develop a database of agricultural land owned by foreign persons.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 1920
A BILL
FARMLAND Act of 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA-4) · Introduced Mar 6, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 28, 2025: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.”
Sections
Sections · 8
- Sec. 1Short titleNo change
- Sec. 2Agricultural foreign investmentNo change
- Sec. 3Report on agricultural land purchasing activities in the United States by countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism and certain other countriesNo change
- Sec. 4Investigative actionsNo change
- Sec. 5Authority of Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review certain real estate purchases by foreign entities of concernNo change
- Sec. 6Digitization and consolidation of foreign land ownership dataNo change
- Sec. 7Prohibition of participation in Farm Service Agency programs by foreign personsNo change
- Sec. 8Authorization of appropriationsNo change