Governor Mike Parson announced he has issued Executive Order 24-01, which bans individuals and businesses from nations designated as foreign adversaries from purchasing agricultural land within a 10-mile radius of critical military facilities in the State of Missouri.

Executive Order 24-01 bans any citizen, resident, or business from a foreign adversary, outlined in 15 C.F.R § 7.4, from owning or acquiring Missouri agriculture land within 10 miles of critical military facilities. Nations currently classified as foreign adversaries include China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela.

For the purposes of this order, “critical military facilities” refers to all staffed military facilities in Missouri. The order does not affect existing landowners.

Currently, foreign agricultural land purchases are capped at one percent of the total agricultural land across the state, as outlined in state statute, Section 442.571, RSMo. Executive Order 24-01 creates more stringent requirements for these land purchases and requires approval from the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) prior to any foreign acquisitions of agricultural land. The order also requires disclosing certain information to MDA prior to any foreign entity acquiring Missouri agricultural land. Specifics can be found in the Executive Order

These additional requirements will help inform MDA personnel as to whether an agriculture land purchase by a foreign alien or business should be approved or denied. Governor Parson will also include funding in his upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 supplemental budget and his FY 2025 budget to ensure MDA has the necessary resources and staff to enforce these protections.

During a press conference, Parson made clear that his order does not impact Missouri’s valued economic partnerships with foreign allies, including Israel, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan, among many others that have a longstanding presence in Missouri and employ thousands of Missourians.

In the last five years alone, foreign investment in Missouri has totaled nearly $19 billion and directly supported close to 150,000 Missouri jobs.

To view Executive Order 24-01, click here. Executive Order 24-01 will stand in effect until otherwise rescinded.