Organizations push for improved monitoring of foreign land ownership - Texas Farm Bureau (2024)

FAQs

How much of Texas is owned by foreigners? ›

These investments, groups noted, have consequences for U.S. national security. Texas leads the nation in the amount of foreign-owned agricultural land. USDA released a report in December detailing foreign holdings of U.S. agricultural land, noting that foreign ownership increased to 5.3 million acres in Texas.

All told, 43.4 million acres of forest and farmland in the U.S., or 3.4% of all ag land, is foreign owned as of Dec. 31, 2022. Roughly 30 million of those acres are reported as foreign-owned, with the remainder primarily under a 10-year-or-longer lease.

Which countries own the most land in the U.S.? China holds only about 1% of all foreign-owned land in the United States, while Canada owns nearly a third. Canada holds 31% of all foreign owned land, with the Netherlands and Italy following with 12 and 7% respectively.

Foreign persons held an interest in over 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land as of December 31, 2022. This is 3.4 percent of all privately held agricultural land and nearly 2 percent of all land in the United States.

No, all land within the boundaries of the state of Texas is part of the United States. Texas is one of the 50 states that make up the United States of America, and as such, all land within its borders is subject to the jurisdiction of the federal government and the state government of Texas.

If the Federal Reserve's holdings are excluded, foreigners own nearly 60 percent of outstanding marketable treasuries. Foreigners own less-significant portions of other asset markets. Their holdings of equities, though large in dollar terms, are small relative to the size of the equity market.

China owns 384,000 acres of American agricultural land. That's a 30% increase just since 2019. And on top of that, they own land near an air force base in North Dakota.

The Land Report 100 research team analyzes transactions and scours records to determine America's leading landowners. That's how we broke the news in 2020 that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was America's largest farmland owner with more than 260,000 acres.

This article highlights the laws that restrict foreign investment in real estate in Alabama, Florida, Idaho, North Dakota, Ohio, and Tennessee. It identifies the types of land ownership that are restricted, and whether these prohibitions apply to investors from all foreign nations or only specific foreign adversaries.

Editor, The Land Report

The Emmersons became America's largest landowners in 2021 when they acquired 175,000 acres in Oregon from Seneca Timber Company. With that acquisition, the Emmersons surpassed Liberty Media chairman John Malone's 2,200,000 acres.

Can China buy land in Missouri? ›

Governor Kehoe said. “China is our nation's most hostile foreign adversary, and Missouri cannot allow individuals and companies associated with the Chinese Communist Party to buy and exploit Missouri land.”

The largest landowner in the world currently is King Charles III of England. How much land does the Royal Family own? He and the British Royal Family own more than 6,600,000,000 acres of land around the world. They technically own many territories around the globe, amounting to 1/6 of the surface of the planet.

The United States does not own any land in China. However, the US does have a diplomatic presence in China through the US Embassy in Beijing and various consulates in other cities. These diplomatic properties are not owned by the US, but rather leased from the Chinese government.

According to USDA's latest AFIDA report, which is based on 2021 data, over 40 million acres of U.S. agricultural land are owned by foreign investors and companies.

Privately held farmland in the contiguous 48 States totals 878 million acres, two-thirds of the total private holdings (app. table 1.2. 1). The ownership of this private farmland is held by about 3 million individuals, partnerships, and corporations.

One big thing about Texas you may not know. Surprisingly, Texas land is nearly 95% privately owned, with some of the largest properties for cattle ranching in the country. It's true. By comparison, did you know that Nevada is 80% owned by the government?

1. Jay Kleberg and The King Heirs. King Ranch, spans an astounding 900,000 acres across a vast expanse of South Texas.

Over 95% of the land in Texas is privately owned. This creates a unique challenge for Texans, as conservation becomes the responsibility of private landowners.

4.7 million immigrants reside in Texas, or 17 percent of the total population.