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According to USDA's 2024 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act report, foreign investors held interests in approximately 47.24 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, an increase of roughly 2.34 million acres compared to 44.9 million acres in 2023. This represents an increase of approximately 3% over the previous year.

Foreign-held acreage has increased substantially since 2010, when foreign investors held approximately 24.8 million acres. The 2024 total represents an increase of approximately 22 million acres, or 90%, over that period.

Land use remains an important distinction. Forestland accounted for approximately 22.2 million acres of foreign holdings in 2024, nearly half of the reported acreage. Cropland accounted for approximately 13.7 million acres, with the remainder consisting largely of pastureland and other agricultural land.

The large share of forestland reflects substantial investment by foreign-owned timber and forest products companies. It also underscores why foreign agricultural land holdings should not be interpreted exclusively as foreign purchases of actively cultivated farmland.

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