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As 2020 presidential candidates jockey for position, interesting issues can arise and become a national topic of conversation seemingly overnight.
So was the case when potential 2020 Democratic nominee Elizabeth Warren spoke in Iowa about foreign companies buying American farmland. Suddenly Ty Higgins, Ohio Farm Bureau’s director of media relations, started receiving phone calls on a topic not related to water, trade or a wet spring for Ohio farmers.
Higgins told National Public Radio in a May interview that “once a foreign entity buys up however many acres they want, Americans might never be able to secure that land again. So, once we lose it, we may lose it for good.”
In Ohio, about half a million acres of farmland are owned by foreign investors — with Germany and the Netherlands leading in most land bought. China is another significant investor.
Higgins noted there is no federal restriction on foreign farmland purchases, so it is up to each individual state to come up with its own regulations. For example, it is restricted in Iowa, where no farmland is owned by foreign investors, whereas Higgins said in Texas it is a “free for all.”
In Ohio, there is voluntary registration by the foreign entity with the state, but nothing prohibiting those overseas from purchasing farmland.
The loss of farmland itself is of particular concern, Higgins said. “Every acre of productive farmland that is converted over to something other than agriculture is an acre of land that no longer produces food,” causing a ripple effect in the state’s economy and a potential hardship on rural communities. Higgins comments with NPR also were later included in a story done by Newsweek.
2025 Online Extra
From American Farm Bureau: Foreign footprints: Trends in U.S. agricultural land ownership
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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