The US wants to know more about who owns its farmland

The US Department of Agriculture is asking for public ideas on how to update rules for foreign people who own or control US farmland. The goal is to collect better information, especially for national security reviews, after a government report found flaws in the current system.

The US government has been worried about foreign ownership of land near military bases. The current rules for tracking this ownership are old and have gaps. This public comment period is the first step toward tightening those rules. Foreign entities might soon face more scrutiny when buying US agricultural land.