Foreign investors now own or lease more than 37 million acres of agricultural land in the U.S. — an area larger than the state of Illinois.
In recent years, foreign investment has skyrocketed in U.S. agriculture. Many of the largest ag companies are foreign-owned, including Brazilian meat company JBS, China-owned seed and chemical company Syngenta and German chemical giants Bayer and BASF. Institutional investors in timberland and foreign-owned renewable energy companies have been among the largest recent investors, new federal data shows.
Senators like Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley have raised concerns about this investment pricing out U.S. farmers and potentially impacting food security.
— Johnathan Hettinger, reporter
Foreign investment in US cropland nearly triples in past decade, USDA data shows | Johnathan Hettinger, Investigate Midwest
Foreign investment in U.S. cropland has nearly tripled in the past decade, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
The total cropland controlled by foreign interests in 2020 was 10.9 million acres, up from 4.1 million acres in 2010.
Database: Check out foreign-held ag land in your county
We've updated our foreign-held ag land database. Search by county, country or name for free.
GRAPHIC: New EPA data shows fewer staff overseeing more pesticide registrations | Johnathan Hettinger, Investigate Midwest
Opinion: Big Chicken in the legal deep fryer yet again? | Dave Dickey
Given what has happened in the last decade or so, you might say price fixing is part of Big Chicken's DNA. And perhaps the number one poster child for price collusion has been the second largest U.S. chicken company by sales volume: Pilgrim's Pride Corporation.
