ICYMI: Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper Joins American Agriculture Leaders as Trump Admin Announces National Farm Security Action Plan

Washington, DC – In case you missed it, earlier this month, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper joined United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and others as they announced the National Farm Security Action Plan. This plan rightly elevates American Agriculture as a key part of our nation’s national security, addresses urgent threats from foreign adversaries, and strengthens the resilience of our nation’s agriculture and food production sectors. Commissioner Tyler J Harper issued the following statement.

“China and other foreign adversaries are a very real threat to American agriculture, our nation’s food supply chain, and our national security, and I’m thankful that the Trump Administration recognizes that threat,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper. “It is why I was proud to lead the charge to successfully ban China from purchasing Georgia farmland last session, and it is why I’m grateful President Trump and his administration are taking decisive action to protect American farmers, farmland, and our food supply.”

According to USDA, the National Farm Security Action Plan takes aggressive action across seven critical areas.

1. Secure and Protect American Farmland – Address U.S. foreign farmland ownership from adversaries head-on. Total transparency. Tougher penalties.
2. Enhance Agricultural Supply Chain Resilience – Refocus domestic investment into key manufacturing sectors and identify non-adversarial partners to work with when domestic production is not available - plan for contingencies.
3. Protect U.S. Nutrition Safety Net from Fraud and Foreign Exploitation – Billions have been stolen by foreign crime rings. That ends now.
4. Defend Agricultural Research and Innovation – No more sweetheart deals or secret pacts with hostile nations. American ideas stay in America.
5. Put America First in Every USDA Program – From farm loans to food safety, every program will reflect the America First agenda.
6. Safeguard Plant and Animal Health – Crack down on bio-threats before they ever reach our soil.
7. Protect Critical Infrastructure – Farms, food, and supply chains are national security assets, and will be treated as such.

In recent years, China has taken aggressive steps to gain more control over American agriculture and food production. In 2014, a China-based firm controlled by the CCP, Shuanghui, paid 30% over market value to purchase Virginia-based Smithfield Foods – the world’s largest pork producer. The state-controlled Bank of China approved Shuanghui’s $4 billion loan in a single day and highlighted the purchase in their annual report as being in line with their government’s 5-year plan to increase meat production by purchasing overseas food production companies. The Chinese government appointed the new leadership of Smithfield following the purchase, and China now effectively owns one of every four pigs in the United States.
 
Equally concerning is China’s repeated, and sometimes successful, attempts to purchase American farmland located near strategic American Military installations. As of today, more than 400,000 acres of American farmland, worth upwards of $2 billion, are owned by various Chinese companies or Chinese nationals.
 
In 2024, after a decade of non-disclosure, beneficial ownership documents revealed that billionaire and Chinese Communist Party member Chen Tianqiao purchased almost 200,000 acres of Oregon farmland for $85 million. Also in 2024, Fufeng Group, a Chinese firm with deep ties to the CCP, purchased 300 acres of North Dakota farmland located just 12.5 miles from Grand Forks Air Force Base. The United States Air Force called the project “a significant threat to national security,” and it was ultimately blocked by the Grand Forks City Council. Between 2016 and 2018, Sun Guangxin, a billionaire with extensive ties to the CCP and former member of the Chinese military, purchased 130,000 acres of farmland in Val Verde County, Texas, home to McLaughlin Air Force Base where military pilots undergo flight training.
 
In 2024, Georgia banned adversarial foreign nations, like China, and their agents from purchasing Georgia farmland. Commissioner Tyler J Harper led this successful effort to protect Georgia farmland in coordination with the Georgia General Assembly.