Protecting American Agriculture From Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. BAIRD. Madam Speaker, when we talk about land for farmers and ranchers, we are really talking about that top eight inches of soil, which for some of you that may not recognize, that we consider that a living, breathing organism because of the organisms there and the complex chemistry that takes place, the nutrient exchange that grow the plants that rise above the surface.

I compliment our farmers and ranchers. We have spent a great deal of time and money and effort for conservation programs to protect that top eight inches of soil.

When we talk about land, we are also referring to a very precious resource. Since we have invested so much time and effort to make sure that we preserve that land, we are not interested in letting our adversaries have access to that.

In that vein, in Indiana, foreign investors own and lease about 400,000 acres of agricultural land. When I talk about agricultural land, I am talking about the land that either produces crops, forestry, pasture forages, and that sort of thing.

Some of them do not pose a real threat; however, foreign adversaries, including Communist China, are buying up farmland. Investors from Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela under the Maduro regime, as I heard our speaker mention a minute ago, hold about 95,000 acres of American agricultural land, but between 2010 and 2021, just the last decade or so, individuals or entities affiliated with the Communist China increased ownership of our agricultural land from 13,000 acres to 383,000 acres. That is a tenfold increase.

We need to be conscious of that, we need to be aware of that, and we don't need to let our adversaries have that.

What is even more concerning is that the Chinese-owned entities have purchased farmland near at least 19 of our military bases. This strategically placed land could be used by the Chinese Communist Party to surveil our military sites. This is a huge national security threat.

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Mr. BAIRD. Madam Speaker, our adversaries are buying up our farmland. I mentioned that. The U.S. is currently losing 175 acres of farm and ranchland every hour for housing and other industries. The reduction in the amount of land for sale is contributing to the higher prices of land as well as making it harder for young farmers to access quality land.

We cannot keep burning the candle at both ends and allow our adversaries to purchase land when the American farmers are struggling to do so. Ultimately, food security, as has already been mentioned, is national security. We must ensure a resource as precious as our farmland cannot be exploited or purchased by our adversaries.

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