The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is requesting public input on updates to its foreign land reporting form. The goal, according to the agency, is to capture more data on long-term leases and the impacts of foreign ownership and investment on farmers and rural communities, as well as gather geospatial information.

The form is required under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA).

“USDA seeks to improve the information that we are collecting about foreign ownership and leasing of U.S. agricultural land,” Robert Bonnie, undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation, said in a statement. “This process, which includes public input on changes to the form, will lead to more insightful reporting to Congress and the public.”

AFIDA requires foreign investors to file a form with the Farm Service Agency in the county where land is purchased, detailing the number of acres acquired, the buyers’ country of origin, the purchase price and the intended use of the land.

Many renewable developers are subject to AFIDA and are required to report long-term wind and solar leasehold interests to USDA. The proposed changes could impact the data the developers report.

AFIDA became law in late 1978. The regulations were created to establish a nationwide system for the collection of information pertaining to foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land.

AFIDA generally defines “agricultural land” as 10 acres or more of land that has been used for agricultural purposes—farming, cropland, ranching, grazing or timber production—within the last five years. These definitions apply even if the land has been planned and plotted or re-zoned for non-agricultural purposes.

Agricultural land is categorized as cropland, forestland, pastureland, other agriculture and non-agricultural land (homesteads or farm roads).

USDA said the input collected from the public will assist in creating an electronic submission system for foreign filers and improve accuracy in data reporting.

Comments, which are due Feb. 16, can be submitted here.

View the 2022 Foreign Holdings of U.S. Agricultural Land Report.