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The 10 Countries That Own the Most American Farmland |
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USDA’s latest count puts 46.3 million acres of American farm and forest land in foreign hands. Washington’s worry is China. China ranks 21st. The biggest owner is Canada, with more than the next five countries combined. |
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Source: USDA Farm Service Agency, Foreign Holdings of U.S. Agricultural Land through Dec. 31, 2024 (released Jan. 2026). Acres, incl. U.S. affiliates. |
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Most people missed it. But if you go back and listen carefully, there's a pattern
Most people missed it. But if you go back and listen carefully, there's a pattern.
Trump didn't just mention gold once. He's dropped a series of sly hints that, when you line them up, paint a very clear picture.
He promised a "new American Golden Age." Most people took that as a slogan. What if it wasn't?
He warned that to fix the economy "there would be some pain." Most people assumed he meant tariffs. What if he meant something bigger?
His Treasury Secretary went on national television and said the administration plans to "monetize the assets on the balance sheet." The government's single biggest asset? 261 million ounces of gold valued at $42 an ounce on the books. Worth over $1.2 trillion at market prices.
There's legislation in his own party right now to revalue that gold. A Federal Reserve economist published a paper on how to do it. And central banks around the world are hoarding gold like they already know the ending.
One hint is a comment. Two is a coincidence. This many is a plan.
No president since Nixon has talked about gold this openly. And the last time a president acted on gold, FDR in 1934, it created one of the biggest wealth events of the century. Most Americans had no idea until it was too late.
The "pain" he warned about? It's coming for people who aren't positioned. The "Golden Age"? It's coming for people who are.
A free report called "The Great Gold Reset" connects every hint, every statement, every piece of legislation into one clear picture. And shows you how to get on the right side of it in about 15 minutes. No taxes. No penalties.
| What's Surprising |
Canada holds 16.1 million acres. That is 34% of all foreign-held American land, and more than the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Britain and Denmark combined. It is 65 times what China holds.
Much of it is not farmland as most people picture it. Forest makes up 47% of all foreign-held acres. Cropland is 29%. Half of Canada’s acres are forest. The Netherlands holds 72% of its 4.7 million acres in timber. Denmark holds 66%.
Then there are the wind farms. Foreign energy companies hold 10.6 million acres through long-term leases. About 2.2 million of Italy’s 2.7 million acres are wind leases. Portugal’s are almost all wind. The farmer keeps farming. The turbine goes up in the corner of the field.
| What's Not Surprising |
China has 247,659 acres. That is about half of one percent of the foreign total, and it fell by nearly 30,000 acres in a year. Five companies hold 92% of it. The largest, Brazos Highland Properties, reports 86,994 acres. Two others are Smithfield Foods units.
Russia owns 11 acres. Iran owns 547. North Korea owns none.
The money comes from neighbors and old allies. After Canada, the other nine in the top ten are all European. Japan is the first Asian name, at 11th. Foreign holdings have grown by an average of 2.4 million acres a year since 2017. They are still 3.6% of America’s privately held farm and forest land.
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16.1 million Acres held by Canadian investors. More than the next five countries combined, and 34% of all foreign-held American land. |
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21st China’s rank among foreign owners of American farmland, with 247,659 acres. Less than 1% of the foreign total. |
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11 acres Russia’s entire holding of American farmland. Iran: 547 acres. North Korea: none. |
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10.6 million Acres foreign companies hold through wind-farm leases. Less than 1% of that land is owned outright. |
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21.3% Share of Maine’s privately held farm and forest land in foreign hands, the highest of any state. Nationally the figure is 3.6%. |
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28 Wishes sells ice cream in Los Angeles. Below 70°F, sales fall about 20%. So the owners put about $20 a day into Kalshi weather markets, taking the cold side. The days that keep customers away now pay something back. See how other owners are doing it
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USDA moved foreign-ownership filing online in January. In June it proposed handing oversight to its Office of Homeland Security, and the rewrite is expected to change the legal definition of agricultural land. If long-term leases or forest drop out, this table changes shape. Italy and Portugal, whose acres are mostly wind leases, would shrink the most. The next annual count, covering 2025, is due around the turn of the year. We’ll be watching. |
