Multiple foreign countries and investment groups have been quietly acquiring land designated for agriculture in the United States over the past decade.
Foreign interests presently control 37.6 million acres of pasture, timber, and farmland.
This amounts to an area roughly the size of Iowa, or Illinois.
Holdings of U.S. agricultural land by foreign investors grew 55 percent in a 10-year stretch, from 24.2 million acres controlled by outside nations and businesses in 2010.
A windfarm is seen near Palm Springs, Calif., on Dec. 30, 2006. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images)
Much of this surge has been attributed to foreign-owned wind companies using a significant amount of land, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)….