TFB: Texas Has Highest Increase in Foreign-Owned Ag Land (2024)

FAQs

How much land in Texas is owned by foreigners? ›

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. Foreign ownership and investment in U.S. agricultural land—which includes farmland, pastures and forestland—has grown almost 50% since 2017, according to USDA.

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.

Of all foreign-owned U.S. land, Canadian investors owned the most at 12.8 million acres. This makes up 31% of all foreign-owned U.S. land. Four other countries held 12.4 million acres combined, or another 31% of foreign-owned land: the Netherlands (12%), Italy (7%), the United Kingdom (6%), and Germany (6%).

It's actually Canada, which accounts for 32%, or 14.2 million acres. Rounding out the top five are the Netherlands at 12%, Italy at 6%, the United Kingdom at 6% and Germany at 5%.

According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, foreign investors and companies own over 40 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, which is about 1.8% of all land in the U.S. and 3.1% of all privately held agricultural land.

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.

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.

Stewart Allen Resnick (born December 24, 1936) is an American billionaire businessman. In 2018, Resnick was the wealthiest farmer in the United States. Resnick and his wife, Lynda Resnick, bought The Franklin Mint in 1986 and sold it in 2006.

Who is the largest private farm landowner in the United States? ›

3) The Emmerson Family

The largest private landowner in the United States is the Emmerson family, which owns and operates Sierra Pacific Industries, one of the largest lumber producers in the country.

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.”

Yes, China does allow foreigners to buy property. But there are a few requirements you'll need to meet as a US citizen venturing into the Chinese property market. These are the country-wide rules, but there may also be other requirements depending on which region you're looking to buy in.

Canadian investors own 14.2 million acres in the U.S. of both agricultural and non-agricultural land, or about 32% of all foreign holdings. Netherlands owns 12%, followed by Italy and United Kingdom each with 6% and Germany with 5%. Combined, those four countries have about 13 million acres.

Texas is a private lands state (over 93% of Texas is privately owned), and private land stewardship is crucial to maintaining the diverse array of habitats needed to support the unique and varied wildlife that we enjoy in our state.

China currently holds 384,000 acres of land in the U.S., which is around 1% of all foreign-held acres. The total holdings for Saudi Arabian investors is about 36,000 acres.