Saudi Arabia buying up farmland in US Southwest

[Disir]

Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries are scooping up farmland in drought-afflicted regions of the U.S. Southwest, and that has some people in California and Arizona seeing red.

Saudi Arabia grows alfalfa hay in both states for shipment back to its domestic dairy herds. In another real-life example of the world's interconnected economy, the Saudis increasingly look to produce animal feed overseas in order to save water in their own territory, most of which is desert.
Privately held Fondomonte California on Sunday announced that it bought 1,790 acres of farmland in Blythe, California — an agricultural town along the Colorado River — for nearly $32 million. Two years ago, Fondomont's parent company, Saudi food giant Almarai, purchased another 10,000 acres of farmland about 50 miles away in Vicksburg, Arizona, for around $48 million.

But not everyone likes the trend. The alfalfa exports are tantamount to "exporting water," because in Saudi Arabia, "they have decided that it's better to bring feed in rather than to empty their water reserves," said Keith Murfield, CEO of United Dairymen of Arizona, a Tempe-based dairy cooperative whose members also buy alfalfa. "This will continue unless there's regulations put on it."
In a statement announcing the California farmland purchase, the Saudi company said the deal "forms part of Almarai's continuous efforts to improve and secure its supply of the highest quality alfalfa hay from outside the (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) to support its dairy business. It is also in line with the Saudi government direction toward conserving local resources."
Saudi Arabia is buying up farmland in US Southwest

They have been buying land all over the world to grow food on for years and years. It has had an extremely harmful effect in a couple of third world countries where people have been killed or moved off of land that was sold.

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd says...

... "Mebbe dey gonna put inna solar farm...

... so's dey can gouge us onna electricical."

 

[dani67]

shame on you.

 

[Disir]

shame on you.

Do what now?

 

[Lady_Lbrty]

It's illegal to sell land in the United States to a foreign entity, not that that matters to this administration. That's completely ignorant. One does not sell ones Homeland. This article also includes the United States growing & selling crops outside of the U. S., that's totally different from a foreign Country owning our land.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Why?

We bought land from the Native Americans.

 

[Penelope]

It's illegal to sell land in the United States to a foreign entity, not that that matters to this administration. That's completely ignorant. One does not sell ones Homeland. This article also includes the United States growing & selling crops outside of the U. S., that's totally different from a foreign Country owning our land.

I don't know about it being illegal,
but they should be importing our American goods, not buying America.

 

[Penelope]

I think your going to find big business behind this , not Democrats. Same as selling Smithfield's foods to a China company.

 

[froggy]

Why?

We bought land from the Native Americans.

Stole

 

[Phoenall]

It's illegal to sell land in the United States to a foreign entity, not that that matters to this administration. That's completely ignorant. One does not sell ones Homeland. This article also includes the United States growing & selling crops outside of the U. S., that's totally different from a foreign Country owning our land.

I don't know about it being illegal,
but they should be importing our American goods, not buying America.

And you should be importing Israeli goods from the west bank as well, but you are one of the worst offenders for denying the Jews a chance to live. So don't complain when your fellow muslims screw over the USA

 

[dani67]

Why?

We bought land from the Native Americans.

Stole

YOU bought ALASKA

The US $7.2 million check used to pay for Alaska ($121 million in 2015 dollars)[1]

 

[Penelope]

It's illegal to sell land in the United States to a foreign entity, not that that matters to this administration. That's completely ignorant. One does not sell ones Homeland. This article also includes the United States growing & selling crops outside of the U. S., that's totally different from a foreign Country owning our land.

I don't know about it being illegal,
but they should be importing our American goods, not buying America.

And you should be importing Israeli goods from the west bank as well, but you are one of the worst offenders for denying the Jews a chance to live. So don't complain when your fellow muslims screw over the USA

Its not Muslims, its an American company making money off of selling farmland and our water.
I buy American as much as I can. Don't we give the Hebrews enough with our what 5 billion a year now.

 

[Lady_Lbrty]

Why?

We bought land from the Native Americans.

Oh so, I am sure that we could go and buy a piece of Saudi land, or a piece of land in China? You know what I'm getting at, it's completely asinine. So, Obama is selling western land to the Saudis, what he hasn't sold to them, China holds in Trust so that when we default on our loans, they come take what they want, and we then are either immediately under Sharia, or Communist rule? I've never in my lifetime heard of another sovereign Nation selling the "motherland".

 

[Lady_Lbrty]

Why?

We bought land from the Native Americans.

Stole

YOU bought ALASKA

The US $7.2 million check used to pay for Alaska ($121 million in 2015 dollars)[1]

It's attached to our homeland. Saudi Arabia is no where near here.

 

[Lady_Lbrty]

I am having a hard time figuring out who said what. Maybe because I am doing this on a phone instead of a PC? Someone said something about Muslims screwing over Jews, um I don't know, the way this is laid out is strange. I'll get it figured out!!! Anyway, we shouldn't be selling land to Muslims. I actually could see selling land in Alaska to the Canadians, see what I am getting at?

 

[Lady_Lbrty]

It's illegal to sell land in the United States to a foreign entity, not that that matters to this administration. That's completely ignorant. One does not sell ones Homeland. This article also includes the United States growing & selling crops outside of the U. S., that's totally different from a foreign Country owning our land.

I don't know about it being illegal,
but they should be importing our American goods, not buying America.

There's a ban in place that is supposed to stop such a thing. Having said that, I also heard that the Government was trying to lift it, so apparently I have my answer. Is this all part of the plan for Islamization of the world? I mean what better way to shut down a fight for your "home" than to find that you don't own it, but the enemy does. No reason to fight, does no good to win.

 

[Penelope]

It's illegal to sell land in the United States to a foreign entity, not that that matters to this administration. That's completely ignorant. One does not sell ones Homeland. This article also includes the United States growing & selling crops outside of the U. S., that's totally different from a foreign Country owning our land.

I don't know about it being illegal,
but they should be importing our American goods, not buying America.

There's a ban in place that is supposed to stop such a thing. Having said that, I also heard that the Government was trying to lift it, so apparently I have my answer. Is this all part of the plan for Islamization of the world? I mean what better way to shut down a fight for your "home" than to find that you don't own it, but the enemy does. No reason to fight, does no good to win.

So there is a ban from companies who own farmland in the US from selling it to outside companies??

 

[Penelope]

Its not Obama, its wall street investors.


Financial institutions and food-strapped countries like China and United Arab Emirates have already been snapping up land in the developing world, where prices are low and labor is cheap. But now, the Oakland Institute reports, pricey US land is also looking attractive, because it "boasts some of the world's most fertile soil, advanced industrial farm technology, strong private property rights, [and] federally subsidized crop insurance."

And Wall Street likes a good bubble. Farmland prices have soared to all-time highs in recent years, pushed up by the government-mandated corn ethanol boom. The average per acre price of Iowa land surged about 60 percent in real terms between 2007 and 2012, and rents have jumped in lockstep.

The report notes that over the next 20 years, nearly half of US farmland—about 400 million acres—will be up for sale as our aging base of farmers moves into retirement. So far, Wall Street cash is moving onto US farms like a stream; financial firms own just about 1 percent of total acreage, and most farmland is still bought by farmers, not institutional investors, the report states. But as more prime land enters the market, the hot money could soon flow like a gusher. By mid-2013, farmland was such a hot commodity that institutional investors were complaining of a tight market for prime farmland—that is, they had more money committed to buying farmland than they could find attractive deals for. But the supply of prime farmland for sale will expand as farmers retire in the coming decades, and Wall Street looks poised to move into the market.

Wall Street investors take aim at farmland

 

[Phoenall]

It's illegal to sell land in the United States to a foreign entity, not that that matters to this administration. That's completely ignorant. One does not sell ones Homeland. This article also includes the United States growing & selling crops outside of the U. S., that's totally different from a foreign Country owning our land.

I don't know about it being illegal,
but they should be importing our American goods, not buying America.

And you should be importing Israeli goods from the west bank as well, but you are one of the worst offenders for denying the Jews a chance to live. So don't complain when your fellow muslims screw over the USA

Its not Muslims, its an American company making money off of selling farmland and our water.
I buy American as much as I can. Don't we give the Hebrews enough with our what 5 billion a year now.

No it is Saudi Arabia buying up land in the US through third parties and then sending the profits of that land to another country. This deprives the US of tax dollars and export duty putting a bigger burden on the US taxpayers, no wonder you are $17 trillion in debt and climbing. In your book it is OK for the muslims to rape the US but not for Israel to provide much needed products to make your lives easier.

 

[Phoenall]

It's illegal to sell land in the United States to a foreign entity, not that that matters to this administration. That's completely ignorant. One does not sell ones Homeland. This article also includes the United States growing & selling crops outside of the U. S., that's totally different from a foreign Country owning our land.

I don't know about it being illegal,
but they should be importing our American goods, not buying America.

There's a ban in place that is supposed to stop such a thing. Having said that, I also heard that the Government was trying to lift it, so apparently I have my answer. Is this all part of the plan for Islamization of the world? I mean what better way to shut down a fight for your "home" than to find that you don't own it, but the enemy does. No reason to fight, does no good to win.

So there is a ban from companies who own farmland in the US from selling it to outside companies??

There was until you elected a neo Marxist muslim as POTUS, then he sold the family silver to pay for his welfare reforms.