Preserve Family Farmland Program
American farmland should belong to the people who work it, care for it, and pass it down to the next generation, not multinational corporations, Wall Street investors, or foreign governments.
For generations, family farmers have fed this country, protected our soil and water, and held rural communities together. But today, more and more farmland is being bought up by corporations, investment funds, and outside interests while family farmers struggle to keep the land they have worked their entire lives.
Our Preserve Family Farmland Program will help keep farmland in the hands of farmers and families.
Keep Family Farms in the Family
No family should be forced to sell the farm just to pay a tax bill after a parent or grandparent dies.
Under our plan, qualifying farmland passed from one generation to another individual or family member, rather than sold or transferred to a corporation, will be exempt from the federal estate tax.
The goal is simple: if a family wants to keep farming the land, government should help them keep it, not force them to sell it.
Stop the Corporate and Foreign Buy-Up of American Farmland
Farmland is not just another financial asset. It is part of our food supply, our environment, and our national security.
Our plan will prohibit additional purchases of American farmland by foreign governments and sharply restrict purchases by corporations, investment funds, and nonprofit foundations whose primary business is not agriculture.
To qualify as an agricultural entity eligible to acquire farmland, at least 55 percent of the organization’s business or investment activity must be directly connected to agriculture.
We should be making it easier for farmers to buy farmland, not allowing Wall Street and foreign interests to outbid them.
Make Large Corporate Landowners Invest in the Communities They Profit From
Corporations that own substantial amounts of American farmland have a responsibility to help protect the land and rural communities from which they profit.
Under our plan, corporate farmland owners will be required to contribute 1 percent of their profits every five years to agricultural conservation and family-farm stewardship programs.
Those funds will support proven efforts that help farmers preserve farmland, improve soil and water quality, protect working lands, and keep family farms economically viable, including:
American Farmland Trust
Conservation Stewardship Program
Environmental Quality Incentives Program
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
Conservation Reserve Program
Regional Conservation Partnership Program
The Treasury Department will establish a dedicated account for these contributions, ensuring that the money goes directly toward protecting farmland and supporting family farmers.
Family farms should be passed down to children and grandchildren, not auctioned off to the highest corporate bidder.
Our agricultural policy should reward the people who work the land, strengthen rural communities, and ensure that American farmland remains in American hands for generations to come.
