Committee raises trade, foreign farmland purchases and supply‑chain concerns as USDA pursues new export deals
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Summary
Members and Secretary Rollins discussed tariffs, a growing trade deficit, foreign purchases of U.S. farmland and supply‑chain vulnerabilities for agricultural inputs; Rollins said the administration is negotiating trade agreements and plans a federal approach to foreign land purchases.
WASHINGTON — The House subcommittee focused part of Tuesday’s hearing on international trade, foreign purchases of U.S. agricultural land, and supply‑chain dependencies for farm inputs.
Secretary Brooke Rollins described efforts to reorient trade policy and promote U.S. agricultural exports, saying the administration was "very, very close to significant trade agreement announcements" and that she expected those deals to benefit American farmers. "We are very close to significant trade agreement announcements... and no one will benefit more than our farmers and our ranchers," Rollins said.
Members raised specific concerns about foreign ownership of productive farmland, citing purchases by Chinese entities and asking for a stronger federal role. Rollins said several states had already taken legislative steps and that USDA planned a federal initiative: "I'll be making an announcement on that in the next couple of weeks... We do need to have an all of government approach to this. It is a national security issue of the greatest priority from my perspective." A member noted an estimate of roughly 350,000 acres in foreign ownership cited during questioning.
Lawmakers also flagged supply‑chain risks such as reliance on overseas amino acids and vitamins used in feed and livestock production. Representative from an agricultural state warned that "China does control the majority of the world's amino acids and vitamins," creating a vulnerability for domestic feed and food manufacturing.
Why it matters: trade policy affects market access for U.S. producers; foreign farmland purchases raise national‑security and market‑access questions; supply‑chain dependencies can disrupt production and raise costs for farmers.
Next steps: Rollins said she was coordinating with governors and interagency partners on a federal approach to foreign land purchases and pursuing export market opening worldwide. Members urged continued attention to supply‑chain resilience and to ensure trade and domestic‑ownership policies protect small and family farms.