The Briefing Room
General Category => Military/Defense News => Topic started by: Kamaji on July 03, 2022, 03:38:52 pm
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Chinese firm bought North Dakota farm near US Air Force drone base: report
By Ariel Zilber
July 1, 2022
A Chinese company’s purchase of farmland in North Dakota just down the road from a US Air Force base that houses sensitive drone technology has lawmakers on Capitol Hill worried about potential espionage by Beijing, according to a report.
Fufeng Group, a Shandong, China-based company that specializes in flavor enhancers and sugar substitutes, recently purchased 300 acres of farmland near Grand Forks, North Dakota, a rural area that lies about a 90-minute drive from the Canadian border.
Grand Forks is also 40 miles away from Grafton, North Dakota, where a limited liability company believed to be controlled by billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates recently paid $13 million for thousands of acres of potato farmland, causing a stir among locals.
Three North Dakotans sold the land to Fufeng Group for $2.6 million, according to CNBC.
Like the Gates-linked purchase, the sale of local farmland to a Chinese company sparked a visceral reaction, according to one of the sellers, Gary Bridgeford.
That’s because the land is just a 20-minute drive from Grand Forks Air Force Base, which is believed to be the home of some of the country’s most sophisticated military drone technology.
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Source: https://nypost.com/2022/07/01/chinese-firm-bought-farm-near-us-air-force-drone-base-report/
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Given our current "leadership",the only thing that surprises me about this is that they didn't buy the base and all it's assets instead.
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BTW,it used to be illegal for foreign nations or nationals to buy real property in the US without obtaining special permission from the feral goobermint.
When did this change,and who is responsible/cashed out for doing it?
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BTW,it used to be illegal for foreign nations or nationals to buy real property in the US without obtaining special permission from the feral goobermint.
When did this change,and who is responsible/cashed out for doing it?
When was that?
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When was that?
@Kamaji
Don't remember. I just remember being told that a long time ago. Maybe mid-60's.
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@Kamaji
Don't remember. I just remember being told that a long time ago. Maybe mid-60's.
I doubt that.
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Here's an article from 1980 that discusses foreign investment in U.S. real estate; there were no comprehensive bans on foreign ownership of U.S. real estate even during WWII. There were limited bans, mostly focused on investments by persons from enemy countries, but no comprehensive ban targeting all non-U.S. owners.
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Here's an article from 1980 that discusses foreign investment in U.S. real estate; there were no comprehensive bans on foreign ownership of U.S. real estate even during WWII. There were limited bans, mostly focused on investments by persons from enemy countries, but no comprehensive ban targeting all non-U.S. owners.
@Kamaji
Communist China isn't a "enemy country". Since when?
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@Kamaji
Communist China isn't a "enemy country". Since when?
Give me a break. Go read the article if you want to play silly word games. The bottom line is this: there has never been a comprehensive ban on foreign ownership of U.S. real estate.
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Regardless of whether there is a ban or not, being just about a dozen miles away from the drones, lets them monitor and decode input signals and drone transmissions, which could well be used to counter (if not co-opt) the technology, if not hijack it.
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Regardless of whether there is a ban or not, being just about a dozen miles away from the drones, lets them monitor and decode input signals and drone transmissions, which could well be used to counter (if not co-opt) the technology, if not hijack it.
Agreed.
The underlying problem is that there isn't any comprehensive requirement that such purchases be reviewed before they're allowed to go through.
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Agreed.
The underlying problem is that there isn't any comprehensive requirement that such purchases be reviewed before they're allowed to go through.
Well, that's just part of thee local issues, IMHO, Bill Gates bought up a chunk of that prime farmland out there, recently, too.
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Well, that's just part of thee local issues, IMHO, Bill Gates bought up a chunk of that prime farmland out there, recently, too.
Bill Gates owns a pittance of total U.S. farmland.
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Give me a break. Go read the article if you want to play silly word games. The bottom line is this: there has never been a comprehensive ban on foreign ownership of U.S. real estate.
@Kamaji
I am the one playing word games????
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@Kamaji
I am the one playing word games????
Yes, you are.
Your question was asked, and answered, with a brief mention of the very limited "trading with the enemy" type restrictions that were imposed in WWII.
Last I checked, (a) China was not an enemy country of ours during WWII, and (b) WWII ended more than 60 years ago. So those restrictions never would have applied, and certainly don't apply now.
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Well, that's just part of thee local issues, IMHO, Bill Gates bought up a chunk of that prime farmland out there, recently, too.
Oh come on, that's purely coincidental. *****rollingeyes*****
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Bill Gates owns a pittance of total U.S. farmland.
From the New York Post article at https://nypost.com/2022/06/30/bill-gates-purchase-of-north-dakota-farmland-cleared/ (https://nypost.com/2022/06/30/bill-gates-purchase-of-north-dakota-farmland-cleared/)North Dakota’s attorney general has found the sale of a couple thousand acres of prime farmland to a group tied to Bill Gates complies with a Depression-era law meant to protect family farms because the land is being leased back to farmers.
The state’s Republican Attorney General Drew Wrigley had inquired into the land sale and on Wednesday issued a letter saying the transaction complied with the archaic anti-corporate farming law. The law prohibits corporations or limited liability companies from owning farmland or ranchland, but allows individual trusts to own the land if it is leased to farmers.
The purchase of the land had raised legal questions as well as concerns that ultrarich landowners do not share the state’s values.
Gates is considered the largest private owner of farmland in the country with some 269,000 acres (108,860 hectares) across dozens of states, according to last year’s edition of the Land Report 100, an annual survey of the nation’s largest landowners. The Microsoft co-founder owns less than 1 percent of the nation’s total farmland.
Less than one percent, but still the largest single owner of farmland in the US.
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Oh come on, that's purely coincidental. *****rollingeyes*****
Unless you are interested in farming in the Red River Valley portion of North Dakota. It is likely completely independent of the Chinese.
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Yes, you are.
Your question was asked, and answered, with a brief mention of the very limited "trading with the enemy" type restrictions that were imposed in WWII.
Last I checked, (a) China was not an enemy country of ours during WWII, and (b) WWII ended more than 60 years ago. So those restrictions never would have applied, and certainly don't apply now.
Chinese troops faced off against American troops in battle in Korea. That war has not ended, it is only a cease-fire in place, not an armistice.
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From the New York Post article at https://nypost.com/2022/06/30/bill-gates-purchase-of-north-dakota-farmland-cleared/ (https://nypost.com/2022/06/30/bill-gates-purchase-of-north-dakota-farmland-cleared/)
Less than one percent, but still the largest single owner of farmland in the US.
Big deal. He owns less than 1% of all farmland. I fail to see any significance to this, other than the fact that U.S. farmland is an attractive investment.
Are we supposed to believe that this less than 1% interest will magically give Gates control over the American food system? Really?
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Big deal. He owns less than 1% of all farmland. I fail to see any significance to this, other than the fact that U.S. farmland is an attractive investment.
Are we supposed to believe that this less than 1% interest will magically give Gates control over the American food system? Really?
Show me where I made any such allegation.
I live in an area where farming and ranching are prominent in the economy. Farmers notice when someone who is NOT A FARMER buys up more farmland than any farmer owns. It drives up prices for actual producers. Corporate farming is illegal in this state.
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Chinese troops faced off against American troops in battle in Korea. That war has not ended, it is only a cease-fire in place, not an armistice.
:facepalm2:
Any sanctions against China were lifted in 1975.
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Show me where I made any such allegation.
It is necessarily implied in the gushing way Bill Gates' ownership of so much American farmland is conveyed. Honestly, what is the point of the claim? If you are now saying it's meaningless, why bring it up in the first place?
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:facepalm2:
Any sanctions against China were lifted in 1975.
That still doesn't make them our friend.
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It is necessarily implied in the gushing way Bill Gates' ownership of so much American farmland is conveyed. Honestly, what is the point of the claim? If you are now saying it's meaningless, why bring it up in the first place?
Just to watch you jump on a conspiracy theory that wasn't there.
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That still doesn't make them our friend.
I never said it did. But it does mean that there are no current limits on the ability of Chinese firms to purchase U.S. real estate.
To be perfectly honest, considering how the Chinese government controls most Chinese companies of any size, I would favor passage of a law that required the U.S. government to approve acquisitions of significant U.S. assets, including real estate, by any Chinese-affiliated company.
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I never said it did. But it does mean that there are no current limits on the ability of Chinese firms to purchase U.S. real estate.
To be perfectly honest, considering how the Chinese government controls most Chinese companies of any size, I would favor passage of a law that required the U.S. government to approve acquisitions of significant U.S. assets, including real estate, by any Chinese-affiliated company.
@Kamaji
I would personally take it a "Giant Step" further by fining any corporation that establishes a business partnership with China that includes technology and/or manufacturing technology,as well as refusing to allow American workers to travel to China to teach manufacturing or any other technical skills.
I honestly don't understand how the blockheads that run unions can justify approving the transfer of whole technology plants to China,as well as allowing the Americans who formerly worked in these plants to move to China to teach the Chinese how to re-assemble these plants and operate them.
And don't get me started on the Chinese Military Officers who are allowed to come to the US and attend technical schools and colleges in order to ship text books back to China and get an American education so they can go back to China and teach the skills and knowledge they learned here.
I do not know who in Congress signed off on this,but I am 100 percent sure it was senior officials from both branches of the corrupt government. These dogs should be tracked down by the government,and treated like the traitors they are.
The Rosenberg's are a fine example of what I am referring to when it comes to punishment for treason.
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I never said it did. But it does mean that there are no current limits on the ability of Chinese firms to purchase U.S. real estate.
To be perfectly honest, considering how the Chinese government controls most Chinese companies of any size, I would favor passage of a law that required the U.S. government to approve acquisitions of significant U.S. assets, including real estate, by any Chinese-affiliated company.
Back to the land in question, this is close enough to monitor the frequencies on which transmissions are going to/from drones, and even learn what inputs will produce what actions by the drones. That could evolve into a serious weakness for American combat drones in the future, especially against the Chinese in the event of conflict.
It appears increasingly, that drones will be used in naval warfare as well, and whatever systems are involved in control functions will likely be similar.
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Well, that's just part of thee local issues, IMHO, Bill Gates bought up a chunk of that prime farmland out there, recently, too.
We own three tenant farms, but maybe a bigger threat to the industry is the plight of family farmers. They are selling to corporate farming interests quicker than anyone realizes.
Don't get me wrong..... I am as big of a captialist as anyone, but when we get the point corporate guys own the whole 9 yards, commodity prices are going to get manipulated to hell.
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We own three tenant farms, but maybe a bigger threat to the industry is the plight of family farmers. They are selling to corporate farming interests quicker than anyone realizes.
Don't get me wrong..... I am as big of a captialist as anyone, but when we get the point corporate guys own the whole 9 yards, commodity prices are going to get manipulated to hell.
It's against the law in North Dakota to even have corporate farms, or for corporations to own farmland. Family farms are set up with trusts to keep their integrity and avoid death taxes. But yes, I see corporate farming as a threat, especially since there are a couple of Mega Ag outfits that would end up holding all the cards.
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It's against the law in North Dakota to even have corporate farms, or for corporations to own farmland. Family farms are set up with trusts to keep their integrity and avoid death taxes. But yes, I see corporate farming as a threat, especially since there are a couple of Mega Ag outfits that would end up holding all the cards.
Good move by ND.
How are those farms with trusts handled when no one in the family cares to carry on the family tradition?
Do those farms have to sold to another individual or family?
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Good move by ND.
How are those farms with trusts handled when no one in the family cares to carry on the family tradition?
Do those farms have to sold to another individual or family?
I would think so. Most farms here are handed down to a family member who has shown the interest, ability, and determination to continue farming.
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It's against the law in North Dakota to even have corporate farms, or for corporations to own farmland. Family farms are set up with trusts to keep their integrity and avoid death taxes. But yes, I see corporate farming as a threat, especially since there are a couple of Mega Ag outfits that would end up holding all the cards.
@Smokin Joe
Frankly,I don't see how family farms can even survive anymore,give the insanely high cost of farm equipment,and the fact that it is almost impossible anymore to hire seasonal farm workers at all,never mind hire any that aren't drunks.
And there is no getting around it,the days of a guy with a small tractor plowing to plant seed with a bandana tied around his face to keep from inhaling all the dust,and a umbrella mounted to a fender to try to provide him with some shade are OVER.
I don't even see how family farms that have existed for generations can make any profits anymore. Sure,you can buy computer-controlled farm equipment that will do all the planting and picking,but if you have enough money to buy a couple of them,why they hell are you farming?
What I see are family farms shutting down as the farm children no longer want to farm,they want to work in offices. The farm land gets sold out to developers who are building houses for sale,and everybody involved is getting too rich to even think about working in the dirt.
I see the future of farming as mega-corporation farms being the rule instead of the exception.
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@Smokin Joe
Frankly,I don't see how family farms can even survive anymore,give the insanely high cost of farm equipment,and the fact that it is almost impossible anymore to hire seasonal farm workers at all,never mind hire any that aren't drunks.
And there is no getting around it,the days of a guy with a small tractor plowing to plant seed with a bandana tied around his face to keep from inhaling all the dust,and a umbrella mounted to a fender to try to provide him with some shade are OVER.
I don't even see how family farms that have existed for generations can make any profits anymore. Sure,you can buy computer-controlled farm equipment that will do all the planting and picking,but if you have enough money to buy a couple of them,why they hell are you farming?
What I see are family farms shutting down as the farm children no longer want to farm,they want to work in offices. The farm land gets sold out to developers who are building houses for sale,and everybody involved is getting too rich to even think about working in the dirt.
I see the future of farming as mega-corporation farms being the rule instead of the exception.
Planting rigs look a lot more like this, (https://www.uswheat.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Seeding-Wheat-Wide-1030x474.jpg), usually with a tank trailer full of anhydrous ammonia in there somewhere. The farms have grown from the consolidation of original homestead blocks, usually through marriage or through a neighbor selling out and being absorbed. Additional acreage is sometimes leased from folks who don't want to farm it but don't want to sell it either. Wheat farms are measured in sections, a section being roughly a square mile. I have known folks who farmed as many as 17 sections. Nowadays, GPS setups keep the operator from missing or double planting land, so the best use is made of everything, from fuel to seed to fertilizer, and yes, time. Some setups will even steer the tractor.
Out here, in the oil producing counties, the farmers have a secret weapon: mineral rights. In some of the counties in this end of the state, oil has been found since the 1950s. For those who kept their mineral rights, in the recent boom, lease fees per acre went as high a $5,000 in some areas, a nice injection of cash that made purchasing the sort of equipment you see in the pic possible. It is not unusual for there to be a million dollars' worth of equipment on the farm or more, especially when you count in grain storage and a semi or two to haul it to elevators for sale. This is multi-generational wealth, in its truest sense, and operated as a business by family members who are careful who they pass it on to.
For farm families just starting up, they start small, and I have heard drillers in the oil patch joking (sorta) in bad ag price years that they were glad they had a job in the oil patch so they could afford to farm a while longer. But that's in the more conservative western part of the State, where farming and ranching differ from the East side, and mostly dry land farming.
In Eastern North Dakota, there was a lake, Lake Agassiz, which existed when the glacial ice sheets backed up water from north of the Canadian Border to south of Fargo and beyond. When the Ice melted away, the lake drained off to the North, and it left behind some incredibly rich farmland, and one of the flattest spots on earth: the old lake bottom, now known as the Red River Valley, for the Red River of the North which runs through it. While you can grow wheat on that land, it is better put to use growing potatoes or sugar beets, and those crops have a higher cash value per acre than wheat, and require different equipment. Labor (mainly truck drivers) are hired for the harvest season only, and I know guys who work the sugar beet harvest as a way to boost their income every year. (Sugar beets are also grown in the bottom land next to the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers near the confluence). Itinerant folks keep the weeds down, and often don't speak English very well--although some programs were set up to teach them and their kids, who will work alongside their parents, much like we worked the family farm when we were kids.
To get started farming, many will grow livestock, because the equipment hasn't changed that much in the last fifty years, they can get used equipment at auction or buy it from another farmer, and get by and build the sort of operation that they want, always with an eye on the next generation. If you are farming, you'd better be a mechanic, too. and yes, all spend some time with lawyers and financial planners figuring out ways to shelter their farms from the taxman, both while they are alive and after they are gone. Sometimes, that start can be on a relatively small patch of ground, and specialty crops are the ticket there, from squash blossoms to ship out air freight to five star restaurants to Echinacea for the herb and supplement industry, those niche crops can provide an income and for the fiscally conservative, a leg up into bigger things.
Some times that doesn't work, because as you said, the kids don't want to farm. I know of one guy who literally lost the ranch when his siblings were left equal shares and they (who moved to the west coast and never had a hand in ranch operations as adults) outvoted their brother who had stayed on the ranch, worked it, and even cared for their mom while she was dying of cancer.
They saw dollar signs, voted to sell, and he saw his way of life stripped from him because 1/3 of that operation wasn't big enough to survive, financially. So that happens, too.
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@Smokin Joe
Frankly,I don't see how family farms can even survive anymore,give the insanely high cost of farm equipment,and the fact that it is almost impossible anymore to hire seasonal farm workers at all,never mind hire any that aren't drunks.
And there is no getting around it,the days of a guy with a small tractor plowing to plant seed with a bandana tied around his face to keep from inhaling all the dust,and a umbrella mounted to a fender to try to provide him with some shade are OVER.
I don't even see how family farms that have existed for generations can make any profits anymore. Sure,you can buy computer-controlled farm equipment that will do all the planting and picking,but if you have enough money to buy a couple of them,why they hell are you farming?
What I see are family farms shutting down as the farm children no longer want to farm,they want to work in offices. The farm land gets sold out to developers who are building houses for sale,and everybody involved is getting too rich to even think about working in the dirt.
I see the future of farming as mega-corporation farms being the rule instead of the exception.
Look into the topic of restorative farming And you might be surprised @sneakypete ... A return to great-grand-daddy's ways. They buy up land that has been decimated by modern farming and ranching techniques, often with little topsoil left, and begin the process of restoring it. Usually 200 acres or less, usually put into market farming or beef (though some milk)
It is much as you describe - Mid size tractors (often used/restored) multi-crop instead of mono-crop... It is really cool what these folks are doing. And it is truly bringing back the family farm.
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Look into the topic of restorative farming And you might be surprised @sneakypete ... A return to great-grand-daddy's ways. They buy up land that has been decimated by modern farming and ranching techniques, often with little topsoil left, and begin the process of restoring it. Usually 200 acres or less, usually put into market farming or beef (though some milk)
It is much as you describe - Mid size tractors (often used/restored) multi-crop instead of mono-crop... It is really cool what these folks are doing. And it is truly bringing back the family farm.
@roamer_1
Thank you for that post. Although the closest I have ever came to farming was driving by a farm,it warms my heart to learn there are places where the "family farm" is not only no longer dying out,but regaining numbers.
Reading this was definitely a bright spot for me.
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@roamer_1
Thank you for that post. Although the closest I have ever came to farming was driving by a farm,it warms my heart to learn there are places where the "family farm" is not only no longer dying out,but regaining numbers.
Reading this was definitely a bright spot for me.
:beer: