By Jamie Martin
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched a new online portal designed to streamline reporting of foreign interests in U.S. agricultural land. The system supports enforcement of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978, which requires foreign entities to disclose farmland transactions.
This initiative is part of USDA’s ongoing work under the National Farm Security Action Plan. The plan focuses on protecting American farmland by strengthening oversight, improving data collection, and increasing transparency related to foreign land ownership.
“President Trump is putting America First, and this includes increasing transparency and scrutiny of one of our most valuable national assets, American farmland. We are working to improve reporting of foreign owned land in the United States,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins.
“This move to streamline the reporting portal will increase compliance and assist our efforts to effectively enforce accurate reporting of interests held by foreign adversaries in U.S. farmland. The online portal will allow us to obtain verifiable information about foreign interests in American agricultural land and protect the security of our farmers,” said Rollins.
The new portal allows users to submit required information digitally through a secure Login.gov account. It gathers the same details currently required on Form FSA-153, which has historically been submitted in paper form. USDA noted that while paper filing remains available, filers should choose only one method to avoid duplicate submissions.
By offering a digital reporting option, USDA aims to improve compliance and make it easier to verify information related to foreign farmland ownership. Accurate data collection helps ensure proper monitoring of land interests held by foreign individuals, companies, or governments.
The National Farm Security Action Plan, announced in July 2025, calls for stronger enforcement of AFIDA requirements. A major focus of the plan is improving how foreign land ownership data is verified, reviewed, and monitored over time.
As part of these reforms, USDA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in December 2025. This step allows the department to explore updates to AFIDA regulations and gather public input on future improvements to the reporting process.
USDA officials say the new portal will play a key role in protecting U.S. farmland by ensuring accurate and timely disclosure of foreign land interests. The system reflects a broader effort to modernize agricultural oversight while maintaining security and transparency for America’s farming communities.
The launch of this digital portal represents a significant move toward strengthening agricultural land protection through improved reporting and enforcement tools.
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Categories: National