.jpg)
Today, agriculture, food, and related trades employ more than one in ten American workers and contribute over $1.5 trillion to our annual Gross Domestic Product. In Nebraska, one in four jobs are related to agriculture. According to the latest data from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, our state is ranked first in total beef exports, second in ethanol production, and fifth in overall agricultural exports among the 50 states.
We live in a time when agriculture security is emerging as a key national security priority.
I was pleased to see the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the launch of a new initiative, known as the National Farm Security Action Plan. This federal initiative outlines seven policy areas intended to better safeguard American agriculture from the threats posed by foreign adversarial countries like Russia, China, and Iran.
One proposed policy under the Plan aims to further restrict entities tied to foreign adversarial countries from buying land in this country. In recent years, there have been several high-profile cases of such entities trying to buy land near military bases. In 2022, a Chinese company was found trying to buy land near Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. In 2024, a Chinese-owned crypto mine near Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming was divested by the federal government. Such cases raised significant concerns that land owned by an entity tied to a foreign adversarial country could aid foreign espionage operations or threaten U.S. food security.
In response to these concerns, last year, I introduced and got passed LB1301, the Foreign-owned Real Estate National Security Act, to better safeguard sensitive military installations like Offutt Air Force Base and the panhandle missile silos from threats posed by foreign adversarial countries purchasing and owning land in our state. This bill modernized Nebraska’s original foreign land ownership law that dated back 1889 to better reflects the needs of the 21st Century as it relates to ongoing state and national security concerns.
Earlier this year, I introduced and got passed LB7 which made a number of technical changes and updates to what was passed in LB1301. Such changes include updates to conform with revised federal laws, clarification that Native American tribes are not foreign governments, and defined some terms which had carried over from the original 1889 law to LB1301. My office will be reviewing any federal action under the National Farm Security Action Plan to determine whether the Foreign-owned Real Estate National Security Act will require further updates.
I also want to make readers aware that Syngenta recently announced the voluntary sale of its com seed production facility near Phillips Nebraska to the Seward, Nebraska- based company Beck’s Hybrids. Syngenta has been a subsidiary of China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) since being acquired in 2017. In 2020, ChemChina was designated a Chinese military company by the U.S. Department of Defense. I am pleased that a Nebraska company is acquiring the property and am hopeful that there is a smooth transition by the time the transaction finalizes in October of this year.
I invite you to let me know your thoughts. My office number is (402) 471-2801 and my email is [email protected]. My address is: Sen. Bariy DeKay, Dist. #40, Box 94604, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.
