Foreign investors own about 46 million acres of land in the United States, according to the most recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Michigan ranks third in the country for agricultural land owned by other nations.
Foreign owned land represents 3.6% of all privately held land in the country. Canada is the largest foreign investor. They own about 34% of those 46 million acres—around 16,100,000.
Michigan lawmakers are concerned about countries the U.S. is not on good terms with owning land in the state.
A bill that would prohibit China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria or Venezuela from buying agricultural land passed the Michigan House last year.
The legislation's sponsor, Rep. Gina Johnsen, (R-Odessa Twp.), spoke during a House Government Operations Committee meeting about the bill last March.
“This bill is not about creating unnecessary barriers or fostering anti-foreign sentiment,” Johnsen said during her testimony.
She said the legislation is meant to protect state resources and its wellbeing.
"We're prioritizing food security, economic stability, and national security," Johnsen said.
Another bill, also passed by the House last year and sponsored by Rep. Luke Meerman, (R-Coopersville), would prohibit these countries from purchasing land 20 miles from a military base.
This bill was introduced shortly after Chinese nationals and college students at the University of Michigan were caught trespassing at the Camp Grayling military base in 2023. The five students had taken photographs of military equipment, and a training operation with the Taiwanese military had taken place earlier that day while the students were there.
In 2024, the FBI charged the former students with lying, attempting to mislead investigators and conspiring to clear their phones of evidence.
"The state of Michigan can and should take measures to prevent this kind of conduct, and my legislation is an effective step towards doing that,” Meerman said in a press release last year.
Both bills are currently sitting in the Senate Government and Operations Committee.
Neither China, nor any other countries of concern, currently own land in the state of Michigan. All foreign-investors are required to file a report of their land holdings to the Secretary of Agriculture.
Nationally, China owns 247,659 acres of agricultural land. Iran owns 547 and Russia owns 11. North Korea does not ow any agricultural land in the U.S.
Michigan ranks third for most foreign-held agricultural land—around 8.8%.
Around 88% of that land is forested land. Only 8% of foreign owned land in the state is cropland, according to the USDA.
David Ortega, food economist and professor at Michigan State University, said foreign entities buy land in the state because it's a good investment.
"It has productive return, is stable and in many cases, its proximity to some of our closest foreign investors, like Canada, I think make it an attractive investment," he said.
He said it's hard to know what the land is being used for, because that information is not provided on the database the federal government creates.
"It's very tough, to really understand who is behind some of the purchases that are made and that's one of the biggest issues here," Ortega said.
A majority of foreign owned land-holdings nationally are with countries that are "friendly towards the U.S.," he said.
Chinese land ownership is a small fraction of overall foreign ownership in U.S. agriculture, and many times, the land is owned by companies that were once American owned, he said.
Ortega said these companies still employ Americans and invest in local economies.
"When we look at some of these bills that are looking to restrict foreign ownership, it's important to keep in mind that there could be unintended consequences here," he said. "They open up the door for potential retaliation in terms of American interests overseas, our investments in other countries and it could have potential trade consequences and retaliation."
He said it's important to consider that some of these foreign investments bring economic activity to rural areas.
Most of Michigan's foreign owned land is in the Upper Peninsula and is owned primarily by Singapore, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Foreign investors do own land in Mid-Michigan, albeit much less. Across six counties, about 28,640 acres are owned by various countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and the Netherlands.
Shiawassee county has significantly more foreign owned land compared to surrounding counties.
Below is a county-by-county breakdown of who owns land and how much of it according to the USDA.
Ingham county:
0.44% of county land is foreign owned
2.48 sq miles
Italy owns 1 parcel, 79 acres
Netherlands owns 6 parcels, 1,505 acres
Clinton county:
0.06% of county land is foreign owned
0.32 sq miles
Belgium owns 1 parcel, 74 acres
United Kingdom owns 2 parcels, 128.74 acres
Shiawassee county:
6.40% of county land is foreign owned
34.60 sq miles
Canada owns 51 parcels, 11,034 acres
Germany owns 28 parcels, 10,852 acres
Italy owns 2 parcels, 30 acres
Netherlands owns 1 parcel, 230 acres
Jackson county:
0.48% of county land is foreign owned
3.49 sq miles
Netherlands owns 1 parcel, 490 acres
United Kingdom owns 2 parcels, 1,741.55 acres
Eaton county:
0.35% of county land is foreign owned
2.02 sq miles
Canada owns 2 parcels, 362 acres
Portugal owns 1 parcel, 211 acres
United Kingdom owns 1 parcel, 722.91 acres
Livingston county:
0.32% of county land is foreign owned
1.85 sq miles
Belgium owns 1 parcel, 89 acres
Japan owns 5 parcels, 1,094 acres