By Andi Anderson
Foreign ownership of farmland is increasing across the United States, including in Ohio, where overseas investors purchased 2,500 acres between 2022 and 2023.
Currently, 538,000 acres of Ohio farmland are owned by foreign investors, primarily from Denmark, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal.
According to Danny Munch, an economist with the American Farm Bureau, Ohio’s foreign-owned farmland represents 2.7% of all privately held agricultural land, slightly below the national average of 3.6%.
Most foreign-owned land in Ohio is linked to renewable energy projects, which account for 55% of increased foreign land ownership since 2010.
Countries like Belgium and the Netherlands face land shortages and carbon offset requirements, leading their corporations to invest in U.S. farmland for renewable energy production. Ohio has become a prime location for such projects, alongside Texas and Oklahoma.
However, some Ohio farmers worry that foreign investors may take land out of production or pose national security concerns. In response, Ohio passed a 2023 law prohibiting adversarial nations—such as China—from owning land in the state.
Former Senator Sherrod Brown introduced legislation to track foreign farmland ownership, though it has yet to pass.
Despite concerns, foreign investment in Ohio farmland is expected to rise, driven by global demand for carbon offsets. Meanwhile, China’s farmland ownership in the U.S. has declined by 11%, with current holdings totaling 277,000 acres—comparable to the size of an average Ohio county.
The debate over farmland ownership and regulation continues as Ohio’s agricultural landscape evolves.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-brzozowska
Categories: Ohio, Energy