UA System Board members praise efforts of National Agricultural Law Center
“We lose sight of it in the United States sometimes but agriculture is probably the most mature industry in the country. It's a very sturdy infrastructure and stable and has Farm Bill and other policies behind it.” — Harrison Pittman
By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Nov. 17, 2023
Fast facts
- Canada is No. 1 foreign owner of U.S. farmland
- China has less than 1 percent of U.S. ag land
(405 words)
(Newsrooms: with photos)
FORT SMITH, Ark. — The director of the National Agricultural Law Center fielded questions about leases and foreign ownership of farmland in the United States during a presentation Thursday to the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees.
Harrison Pittman provided an overview of the NALC to the board during the agriculture committee presentation. He was asked about the drivers behind foreign ownership of U.S. farmland.
“The underlying reason is that agriculture is a great investment,” Pittman said. “We lose sight of it in the United States sometimes but agriculture is probably the most mature industry in the country. It's a very sturdy infrastructure and stable and has Farm Bill and other policies behind it.”
Pittman said that “today our No. 1 investor is Canada. Roughly a third of the foreign ownership in the United States in agriculture comes from five countries: Canada, Germany, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, and then the remaining third is split across 100 countries.
“China gets a lot of attention, but it makes up less than 1 percent of overall foreign ownership,” he said.
Pittman, when asked about leases in agriculture, noted that a rise in leases for solar farms and carbon storage that could reduce the number of acres in crop production.
“Economically, when you look at the numbers of what’s being offered, it’s very difficult for a lot of landowners to turn down that kind of money,” he said.
Before Pittman took questions, the trustees saw a video describing the NALC’s genesis and the many programs it does in terms of legal research, outreach for the agriculture and food industries as well as its mentoring programs for attorneys interested in this field of practice.
Col. Nathanial Todd, a trustee, said he appreciated that the NALC’s fellows program “looked like America” praising the way it reflected the country’s gender, social and economic diversity.
“This is the type of program that we need to see more of not only across the division but across the system,” said Trustee Ed Fryar.
“It seems like every few weeks I pick up a publication and you’ve got another article in there either written by you or about you. It can be testifying in Congress or to a trade association, whatever it might be,” said Morril Harriman, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “I really appreciate you taking your expertise and skill, and in a sense, being an ambassador for the University of Arkansas too. It’s a well-respected program.”
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact: Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu