The South Dakota House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee is considering legislation to place restrictions on foreign ownership of farmland. South Dakota Agriculture and Natural Resources Secretary Hunter Roberts gave a personal example during his testimony. “In 2022, a Chinese delegation reached out to the Department of Ag and Natural Resources and wanted to meet with me and wanted to meet with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. They requested that we give them tours and help them facilitate infrastructure meetings with grain elevators, processing facilities and ag producers.” Due to geopolitical concerns, the meeting did not happen. This Chinese delegation still came to South Dakota. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security followed up with state officials. “The rest of the story is that Homeland Security told the Governor’s Office and Department of Public Safety that these were Chinese spies.”
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