Sen. Ricketts Says PLOT Act Protects Nebraska Ag Land
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
Farms and ranches are the foundation of the Good Life in Nebraska. Nebraskans feed
the country and fuel the world. Our farmers and ranchers keep America healthy and
safe with a secure, reliable food supply. But Communist China can threaten this.
Communist China has pursued a policy of strategically buying ag land. Between 2010
and 2021, Chinese ownership of American agricultural land grew nearly 30 times
larger. As of 2023, Communist China owned more than 277,000 acres of farmland. But
it’s not just about the number of acres that they own. They have targeted sensitive
sites surrounding army bases and airfields. They exploited our legal process to
purchase land surrounding Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota and Fort Bragg
in North Carolina. This is a national security risk. We cannot let them use
American ag land to weaken U.S. national security.
We can’t let Communist China spy on American military bases from our cornfields.
That’s why I introduced the PLOT Act.
The Property Location Oversight and Transparency, or PLOT, Act combats foreign
adversaries’ efforts to buy American ag land. It does this by strengthening and
increasing transparency in USDA’s AFIDA reporting system. The hardworking Americans
that feed us should benefit from land ownership in the U.S. Communist China should
not.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for overseeing the foreign
purchase of ag land. This authority comes from the Agricultural Foreign Investment
Disclosure Act, or AFIDA. USDA is working to combat foreign land ownership from
adversaries. However, Communist China keeps working to bend our rules.
The USDA knows food security is national security. That’s why they’ve implemented
tougher regulations. Secretary Rollins established the National Farm Security
Action Plan. The administration and I are working to help combat Communist China’s
farmland purchasing in Nebraska and the country.
The PLOT Act increases USDA’s oversight of foreign purchases of American farmland.
Currently, reporting requirements are triggered when a foreigner holds at least a
10% ownership interest or when a domestic entity is at least 50% owned or controlled
by a foreigner. The PLOT Act would lower this to 5% and 10%, respectively.
Lowering reporting thresholds captures smaller foreign ownership stakes that
currently go unreported.
The PLOT Act also requires foreign purchasers to provide detailed digital maps of
purchased ag land. These maps would be available to USDA, local governments, and
the public. That way, every Nebraskan knows where foreign adversaries are
purchasing farmland. Nebraska farmers and ranchers should know this information.
The PLOT Act is just one way I’m fighting for more transparency and stricter
requirements in the AFIDA reporting process. Last year, I introduced the bipartisan
AFIDA Improvements Act. It also strengthens the foreign ag land reporting process.
It increases transparency and information sharing. It would also require an online
reporting portal for USDA. These provisions were included in the House Ag
Committee’s Farm Bill. I am fighting for them in the Senate.
Nebraska ag land is passed down generation to generation. Nebraska farmers and
ranchers are proud of their land and the crops that grow from it. We can’t let
foreign adversaries like Communist China get away with purchasing our land. That’s
why I’m introducing the PLOT Act.
My team and I are here to serve you. Contact us anytime by phone at 202-224-4224.
You can also view my website at http://www.ricketts.senate.gov/contact.