U.S. Ag Industry Has Increased Its Foreign Investments In Past Decade, Government Data Shows

By Sky Chadde and Investigate Midwest

Over the past decade, the agriculture sector has grown its investment in foreign holdings at a higher clip than most other industries, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. 

Compared to other major industries, foreign investment from U.S. agriculture is still very small, the data shows. But, in the past 10 years, the investment amount has increased by more than 300% — the second highest jump.

While the data does not specify individual companies, it includes companies involved in animal and crop production. In particular, crop production companies have vastly increased their foreign holdings: from about $2 billion in 2011 to about $12 billion in 2021.