FARMLAND Act of 2025

This bill aims to protect U.S. farms and food systems from risky foreign land deals. It boosts oversight of foreign ownership of farmland, creates a public database of foreign‑owned farmland, and blocks foreign owners or operators from getting Farm Service Agency benefits, with fines for violators and public naming of those who break the rules . It also sets up a new investigative team at the Department of Agriculture to track threats like theft of farm technology and to work with law enforcement and other agencies.

It also expands the national security review of certain real estate purchases by foreign entities of concern. Deals worth more than $5 million, or totaling more than 320 acres over three years, for farmland, energy, or critical materials would be reviewed by the federal committee that oversees foreign investment (CFIUS) . The Agriculture Secretary and the FDA Commissioner would join that committee, which must now consider food, farm, and biosecurity risks, and the government must publish a yearly list of U.S. properties owned by these entities. These changes start at enactment for reviews begun after that date, and Treasury must study whether some past purchases should be sold off; agencies must also report each year on foreign farmland holdings and risks, by state .

• Who is affected

  • Foreign persons who own or operate U.S. agricultural land, and people involved in buying or selling it (buyers, sellers, agents, brokers, title companies). They must report, do due diligence, and may face fines; names of violators will be public .
  • USDA, Homeland Security, Treasury, and other agencies must build the database, run investigations, and review deals .
  • Farmers and community members will be able to see a public database of foreign‑owned farmland.

• What changes

  • A public database of foreign‑owned agricultural land must be created within 3 years, using existing reports and FSA‑153 forms.
  • Stronger penalties for failing to report or filing false reports (set between 5% and 25%), public naming of violators, and a national outreach effort on reporting rules .
  • Buyers, sellers, agents, brokers, and title companies must check the facts (due diligence) and certify compliance with the law.
  • Foreign owners or operators cannot receive Farm Service Agency program benefits; penalties can reach up to 125% of any benefits wrongly received.
  • Larger land deals by foreign entities of concern face federal review; Agriculture and FDA leaders join the review committee; the review must weigh food and biosecurity risks; and there will be a yearly list of properties owned by these entities.

• When

  • Database due within 3 years of enactment; initial and feasibility reports due within 180 days; many reports recur each year .
  • Review changes apply at enactment for new reviews.
  • Funding: $35 million in FY2026 for secure workspaces and the database; $9 million per year in FY2026–2030 for other work.