Agriculture; Armed Forces; Commerce; International Trade; Military Bases; Property; Real Estate
Foreign buyers would lose a path to North Carolina farmland
The bill ties the ban to governments the U.S. says are adversarial, not to a separate state list. It also applies to land near Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune and other military sites, with illegal transfers declared void.
North Carolina lawmakers would block adversarial foreign governments from purchasing, leasing or holding agricultural land and other property near military installations. The measure defines those buyers by a federal arms-control designation and says any covered transfer would not stand.
- Would bar certain foreign governments from buying agricultural and security-sensitive land
- Covers land within 75 miles of a military installation
- Uses a federal ITAR designation to define adversarial foreign governments
- Keeps a limited research-and-development lease exception for tracts up to 250 acres
- Would take effect Dec. 1, 2025
North Carolina would draw a hard line around who can buy farmland and other sensitive ground. The Farmland and Military Protection Act would bar certain foreign governments designated as adversarial by the U.S. Department of State from acquiring agricultural land and other land the state says is critical to safety and security, including property within 75 miles of a military installation.
If the bill became law, transfers made in violation of it would be void, and the change would take effect Dec. 1, 2025. The point is not just ownership for its own sake. It is the state’s claim that land tied to food production and defense should not fall under the control of governments it treats as adversaries.
The buyers the bill would block
The bill defines an adversarial foreign government as a state-controlled enterprise or the government of a country or group subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, in 22 C.F.R. § 126. That ties the restriction to a federal designation instead of asking North Carolina to build its own foreign-policy list.
Agricultural land means land in North Carolina used for agricultural production under existing state law. So the ban would not turn on a vague sense of foreign influence. It would turn on a specific category of buyer and a specific kind of land.
The research exception
The measure does leave a narrow opening for agricultural research and development. Land leased for research, or for activities that produce inputs or products for farmers or other end users, would not count as agricultural land if the lease stays at 250 acres or less in the aggregate.
That carve-out keeps some experimental and supply-chain work alive while trying to block larger ownership stakes. In practice, it separates a limited project lease from the kind of land control the bill treats as a security risk.
Food, fiber and the military map
The sponsors frame the bill around the state’s ability to produce a safe, abundant and affordable supply of food and fiber. The idea is that land policy is not just a farm issue anymore, but part of the state’s security posture.
The proposal has 61 sponsors in all, including 42 Republicans and 19 Democrats.