Agriculture & Rural Affairs Policy Steering Committee

As renewable energy development accelerates across rural America, county governments are navigating growing tensions between energy siting and farmland preservation. This report explores national trends in utility-scale solar and wind deployment on agricultural land, examines the county role in land use and permitting and outlines key federal and state policy considerations.

On July 24, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a major reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will relocate thousands of federal employees, restructure regional offices and consolidate administrative services and operations. The changes are expected to reduce USDA’s footprint in Washington, D.C. and shift more personnel to regional hubs across the country. 

Administered by the USDA, the U.S. Farm Bill helps counties make critical investments in infrastructure, economic development, workforce training, nutrition and conservation within some of our nation’s most underserved communities.

Despite cycles of concern about foreign ownership, less than 4% of U.S. private agricultural land is owned by foreign entities, and only 12 states have enacted laws limiting foreign ownership.

Lawmakers passed the bipartisan EXPLORE Act (H.R.6492) on December 19 to boost outdoor recreation opportunities on public lands for county residents and visitors and aid gateway communities

Foreign ownership of agricultural land is receiving increasing attention from Capitol Hill and state and county governments across the country. This report delves into the current trends in foreign ownership of agricultural land in the United States and provides a survey of the state and federal legislative landscape on this issue, with a particular focus on the implications for county governments.