Farmland for Farmers Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
Introduced
Summary
Limit corporate and foreign control of agricultural land. This bill would stop unauthorized legal entities from acquiring or holding farmland and would set definitions, reporting rules, and penalties to preserve family farms and protect rural communities.
Show full summary
- Families and small farmers: Would curb new corporate and foreign ownership of farmland to help preserve family-run farms and rural community welfare.
- Institutional and foreign owners: Would bar unauthorized entities from directly or indirectly holding agricultural land while allowing narrow exceptions for research, public or nonprofit use, fiduciary holdings, and preexisting ownership that is subject to transfer limits.
- States, federal programs, and enforcement: Would let States impose rules at least as strict as the law, tie participation in United States Department of Agriculture programs and the Farm Credit System to compliance, and create enforcement tools such as divestiture orders, civil penalties, criminal penalties, and civil suits by State attorneys general.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 2 mixed.
Forced sales and penalties for farmland
If enacted, the Secretary would report suspected violations to the Attorney General, who could sue in federal court to force divestiture of agricultural land. A court could order a violator to sell the land within one year; that sale deadline would run with the title, and any land not sold could be sold at public foreclosure sale. Entities that acquire land by process of law would generally have to dispose of it within five years and usually could not farm it except by leasing to an authorized farmer. The bill would also allow civil penalties up to twice the land's fair market value and criminal penalties, including up to 5 years in prison for knowing violations.
New limits on who owns farmland
If enacted, the bill would bar most non‑farmer legal entities from buying or holding agricultural land, while listing narrow exceptions for public, nonprofit, cooperative, fiduciary, and grandfathered owners. It would define an "authorized" owner to have no more than 25 owners, require all owners be natural persons actively engaged in farming, and ban multilayer corporate subsidiary ownership. States would be allowed to set rules as strict or stricter than this federal standard. Land idle at transfer would count as agricultural land if it was used for farming or forestry within the prior 10 years.
Reporting and research rules for owners
If enacted, any entity that acquires farm land after enactment would have to sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury saying it complies with the Act. Beginning with the first taxable year after enactment, owners would file an annual affidavit with their federal tax return certifying compliance. Applicants to USDA or Farm Credit programs after enactment would need to show compliance, and unauthorized owners on the date of enactment would be ineligible for those programs. The bill would also limit the research exception so commercial sales from research land must be under 25% of gross sales of the primary product.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
HI • D
Cosponsors
McGovern
MA • D
Sponsored 4/27/2026
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 4/27/2026
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov