The following are excerpts from a recent report on foreign ownership of farmland in Virginia. So my question is — Is this really a problem? When only about 1% is owned by foreign companies. And the leading companies are from Canada, France, Germany and the U.K.

• Virginia has 560 parcels in foreign ownership as of December 31, 2021, in 81 unique localities. Forty-five different countries are identified as the nationality of the foreign interest with the highest concentration being from Canada (57), France (95), Germany (83), and the United Kingdom (62).

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) disseminates an annual report on foreign holdings of U.S. agricultural land as required in the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA). AFIDA requires any foreign person who acquires or transfers an interest in agricultural land to report the transaction to the Secretary of Agriculture within 90 days.

• According to the USDA Farm Services Agency Foreign Holdings of U.S. Agricultural Land – through December 31, 2021, the information required to be reported consists of the legal name and address of the foreign person, country of government or citizenship.

• Foreign-Held Agricultural Land (Acres) — Proportion of Foreign-Held to Privately-Held Agricultural Land — 2021 — 254,494 acres– 1.2%

      I should point put Chinese ownership is less than 1/2 of 1%. And this is old.

      “Foreign Ownership of Virginia Farmland.” (Virginia Legislative Report) (July 2023).

See also: “Chinese Ownership of Virginia Farmland.” Richmond Times-Dispatch (June 26, 2023).