By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Missouri lawmakers are working on legislation that would prohibit foreign ownership of Missouri farmland.
State Sen. Rusty Black, a Republican from Chillicothe, says getting the legislation right is important.
“It’s a complex issue. It’s pretty easy to put it in a 30 second ad,” Black says, “and try to get elected or try to keep somebody from getting elected. But the issue is larger than that.”
Black refers to the Missouri United States Senate race when Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine accused Republican Erick Schmitt of voting to allow foreign ownership of Missouri agricultural land during his time in the Missouri Senate.
Black, who represents the vast 12th District of northwest Missouri, tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post what has emerged is a prohibition on foreign entities buying farmland in Missouri.
Black issues a caution, though. Black says lawmakers must be careful with this legislation, noting foreign businesses have invested heavily in Missouri.
“Agriculture today is not Missouri-only, it’s not United States-only, it truly is multi-national. I think everybody knows that,” Black says. “A very well-known animal pharmaceutical company here in St. Joe that I’ve known forever, we certainly don’t want them to leave our part of the world. It’s too darn important to agriculture to have that happen.”
Black refers to Boehringer Ingelheim, a major St. Joseph business.
The legislation, HB 903, at present only pertains to future transactions. Current foreign ownership, such as WH Group of China owning Smithfield Foods in northern Missouri, would be grandfathered in. The measure passed the House 130-3 with 22 representatives voting present. The Senate modified the measure and approved it 25-9. It could come up for a final vote in the House and be sent to the governor this week.
Black says the U.S. Senate race and recent events have motivated legislators to push the issue.
“Foreign ownership, honestly, the politics side of it that we went through in the last election cycle. And then, obviously, when that big balloon flew over our country. Those two things went back to making this a major issue,” according to Black.
United States intelligence officials claim a Chinese spy balloon flew across the United States earlier this year, gathering information, especially as it hovered over military installations.