Missouri Governor bans Chinese and Russian companies from buying land near military sites

Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed an executive order on January 2nd prohibiting any entity tied to the CCP from buying up land within 10 miles of any “critical military facilities”.

“With heightened concerns regarding ownership of Missouri farmland by foreign adversaries, especially China, we are signing this order to safeguard our military and intelligence assets, prevent security threats to our state, and give Missourians greater peace of mind. When it comes to China and other foreign adversaries, we must take commonsense precautions that protect Missourians and our security resources.”

Executive Order 24-01 bans any citizen, resident, or business from a foreign adversary, outlined in 15 C.F.R § 7.4, from owning or acquiring Missouri agriculture land within 10 miles of critical military facilities. Nations currently classified as foreign adversaries include China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela.

For the purposes of this order, “critical military facilities” refers to all staffed military facilities in Missouri. The order does not affect existing landowners

Currently, foreign agricultural land purchases are capped at one percent of the total agricultural land across the state, as outlined in state statute, Section 442.571, RSMo. Executive Order 24-01 creates more stringent requirements for these land purchases and requires approval from the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) prior to any foreign acquisitions of agricultural land. The order also requires disclosing certain information to MDA prior to any foreign entity acquiring Missouri agricultural land. Specifics can be found in the Executive Order. 

These additional requirements will help inform MDA personnel as to whether an agriculture land purchase by a foreign alien or business should be approved or denied. Governor Parson will also include funding in his upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 supplemental budget and his FY 2025 budget to ensure MDA has the necessary resources and staff to enforce these protections. 

During the press conference, Governor Parson made clear that his order does not impact Missouri’s valued economic partnerships with foreign allies, including Israel, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan, among many others that have a longstanding presence in Missouri and employ thousands of Missourians.