Food security is national security. That's why I join many Hoosiers and Americans in raising concerns about foreign adversaries like China and Russia ramping up their efforts to buy farmland. Our federal government reports that foreign ownership of U.S. land is up by a staggering 40% since 2016 and we know some of those acres are in the Hoosier state. During the 2024 legislative session, I authored legislation, which was recently signed into law by the governor, to protect Indiana's farm ground and food supply for years to come.
Just how big of an issue is this? Between 2009 and 2015 foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land increased by about 800,000 acres per year, but that number has since quadrupled. Since 2017, foreign investors have purchased nearly 3 million acres annually.
In Indiana, about 438,000 acres of farmland are owned by foreign entities, representing 2.4 percent of Hoosier agricultural land. Of those hundreds of thousands of acres, nearly 80 percent is cropland, 16 percent is pasture and 3 percent is forestland.
While not all foreign investment is concerning, the motives behind land grabs from adversarial nations do raise red flags. The federal government considers China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela as foreign adversaries and are considered to "have engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States.”
Indiana simply can't afford to lose control of more prime farmland, especially because our agriculture industry is a major driver behind our local and state economies. In 2023, Indiana produced over $5 billion in corn and over $4 billion in soybean crops. Our state ranks eighth overall in U.S. food production. As we have learned, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, homemade and homegrown products are more important than ever before to reinforcing key supply chains and limiting disruptions.
To address these concerns, the new law will ban individuals or entities associated with any of our foreign adversaries from being able to purchase or lease agricultural land, or own mineral, water or riparian rights on agricultural land.
Another land grab that’s catching national attention involved Chinese companies that purchased farmland near Air Force bases in North Dakota and California, and a National Guard training facility in Michigan. To protect our sensitive military installations in Indiana, the new law will also prevent China, Russia, North Korea and Iran from purchasing land within a 10-mile radius of these sites.
After listening to the feedback and concerns given by Hoosiers, I am proud to have carried House Enrolled Act1183, which received bipartisan support and overwhelmingly cleared the House and Senate, successfully through the legislative process. It's great to see Indiana take a stand on this important issue and send a strong message to our foreign adversaries.
To learn more about House Enrolled Act 1183 and other new laws, visit iga.in.gov. If you have questions or would like to share your feedback on this or other issues, please contact me at h16@iga.in.govor 317-232-9627.
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State Rep. Kendell Culp (R-Rensselaer) represents House District 16,
which includes portions of Jasper, Pulaski, Starke and White counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
