USDA’s Farm Security Plan Links Agriculture to National Security

By David K. Young and John Gardner et.al

Earlier this month, the US Department of Agriculture released a National Farm Security Action Plan to elevate US agriculture as a key element of national security. While the plan features several pillars ranging from securing food supply chains to addressing biothreats, a key focus of the plan is the purchase of US agricultural land by foreign adversaries, particularly China.

Trusted Insights for What’s Ahead^®

• US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke L. Rollins signed a memorandum of understanding between USDA and the Department of the Treasury as chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), making USDA a CFIUS member for investment reviews concerning foreign transactions involving agricultural land.
• As of the end of 2023, foreign investment in US agricultural land amounted to nearly 46 million acres, with over 277,335 acres of land held by China across 117 counties and 30 states.
• Secretary Rollins said that the Administration is working on different avenues, including Presidential authorities, to claw back land already purchased by foreign adversaries. Several states have enacted or are considering legislation to prevent companies with ties to foreign adversaries from acquiring or holding US agricultural land.
• USDA signed a memorandum removing 70 foreign citizens affiliated with USDA’s  Agricultural Research Service; the majority of the dismissed employees are Chinese post-doctoral researchers on two-year contracts.

Linking Agriculture to National Security

On July 8, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, along with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, announced USDA’s National Farm Security Action Plan to elevate US agriculture as a key element of national security. The seven-pronged approach ranges widely, from securing agricultural supply chains and preventing nutrition benefits fraud to protecting animals and soil from biothreats, but focuses on addressing threats from foreign adversaries. “This vital sector is a known target for terrorists and malicious actors,” according to the report, which notes that foreign adversaries have purchased farmland, smuggled potential bioterrorism agents, and conducted malicious cyberoperations against food processors, among other actions.