Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law new reporting requirements and harsher penalties related to foreign land ownership in Iowa. Reynolds says Iowa plays an important role in America’s food chain, and when Iowa speaks on threats to American agriculture, the country listens.
“American soil belongs in American hands,” Reynolds says. The law grants the Iowa attorney general more powers related to foreign land ownership. Those powers include the ability to subpoena foreign landowners for financial records and land purchase agreements for investigations into potential violations of foreign farmland owner restrictions.
Foreign landowners would be required to provide details to the state about their land owned in other states if it’s more than 250 acres. It also requires the Iowa Secretary of State to file an annual report on foreign farmland ownership in Iowa for consideration by state officials. The law also raises the fine levels on violations for reporting requirements.