Governor Greg Gianforte for Montana state has banned the selling or leasing of agricultural land to foreign adversaries especially near military installations.

The governor has prohibited China and Russia from buying farmland, critical infrastructure or even homes that are deemed to be near military installations and assets for the government.

He further said that his government is doing what the Biden administration will not to defend their economic and food security plus protecting national security assets. This he reiterated by saying that Montana will not look on as foreign adversaries buy up their farmland, harvest private data and do espionage on American citizens.

The ban, which applies to foreign adversaries and corporations headquartered within those nations, goes into effect later this year (2023) following the Governor’s signature last week of Senate bill 203, sponsored by Senator Ken Bogner of. 

Foreign adversaries is defined as any foreign government or foreign non – governmental person determined by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to have been engaged in a long term pattern of adverse relations towards the security, safety and well-being of the people of the United States.

The countries that fall under this designation include China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela. It also applies to corporations that are headquartered within these countries.

Republicans have been in concerted efforts to make sure that the so called adversaries are prohibited from buying U.S. farmlands. Back in February 2023, Rep. Dan Newhouse led his colleagues in the introduction of the Prohibition of Agricultural land for the Peoples of Republic of China Act. The legislation is designed to prohibit the buying of public or private land in United States by all foreign nationals who are affiliated with the Chinese government.

The reason behind this is that foreign adversaries like China and Russia are taken to be in a never ending power struggle that needs to be responded to with tough policies that will protect American farmland and food supply chain. Foreign adversary involvement in the food supply chain is taken as a direct national security threat.

According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, the entities and individuals that are designated under foreign adversaries control less than 3% of the U. S. farmland and of that China controls less than 1% at around 600 square miles. 

The level of restrictions on land ownership by foreign adversaries was further complicated and heightened by the appearance of a Chinese balloon that flew over the U. S. in February this year.

In 2022, a Chinese company, Fufeng Group, based in Shandong, China bought a large tract of land in close proximity to Grand Forks Air force base and a home to the most sensitive military drone technology, raising eyebrows.