New Bill Bans Certain Foreign Nationals from Buying or Leasing U.S. Farmland: Restrictions Take Effect Immediately

The "Protecting America's Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Act of 2025" just dropped, and it's making some major changes to who can own or lease farmland in the U.S. This bill flat-out prohibits individuals and entities connected to the governments of Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia from buying or leasing any agricultural land, public or private, across the country. This goes into effect right now.

The bill defines "covered persons" as anyone owned, controlled by, or acting on behalf of these governments. It also includes any entity primarily trading on their stock exchanges. This doesn't apply to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, but the broad definition of 'control' could be a source of confusion and potential overreach.

Fields of Restriction

The core of this bill is a straightforward ban: no new farmland purchases or leases by "covered persons" tied to those four governments. The President gets authority to enforce this using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. That means serious penalties for anyone who knowingly violates or even attempts to violate this law, similar to the penalties already in that Act (see Section 3 for details). But, if you're not a "covered person," you can still buy or lease. And, if you are a "covered person" who already owns land, you don't have to sell.

Beyond the ban, the bill impacts participation in certain USDA programs. If you're a "covered person" owning or leasing U.S. agricultural land, you're blocked from most USDA programs. Exceptions exist for things like food safety inspections and programs related to this new law itself. If you think you qualify for an exception, you’ll need solid proof for the Secretary of Agriculture (Section 4).

Tracking the Acres

This bill also significantly beefs up the reporting requirements for foreign investment in U.S. farmland. It amends the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA), expanding what needs to be reported to include any security interest and all leases, no matter how short (Section 5). Penalties for messing up reporting are now tied to the land's fair market value, ranging from under 15% to over 30%. If you owe a penalty, the Secretary of Agriculture will slap a lien on your land until it's paid.

Plus, the Secretary must publish all the data from these reports online, in a format that's easy to read and use. This includes purchase prices, updated land values, and details on foreign owners holding at least a 1% interest. This data will be updated within 30 days of any new report. This push for transparency is a big deal, making it easier to track who owns what.

Eyes on the Ground

Finally, the bill calls for a series of reports to analyze the impact of foreign ownership. Within a year, and every two years after, the Secretary of Agriculture must report to Congress on the risks and benefits of foreign ownership, any misreporting, and how state/local governments are tracking this. The Director of National Intelligence also has to report every two years, focusing on foreign influence in the U.S. agriculture industry and the motives behind these land acquisitions. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) gets a year to report on the resources and effectiveness of the AFIDA itself (Section 6). Basically, everyone's getting homework to make sure this is working as intended – and to spot any unintended consequences.