How much of East Texas is owned by foreign entities?
TYLER, Texas (KETK) — As concerns about national security grow, data shows that nearly 10% of East Texas land is owned by foreign entities, sparking Texas legislators to restrict such ownership.
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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s data for foreign holdings of U.S. agricultural land, 9.54% or 1,204,734 acres of East Texas land is foreign-owned with Polk County having the largest amount of acres owned by foreign entities at 49.68%.
A foreign entity is any corporation, business association, partnership or any other group that is not organized to do business in the United States. Those listed as owners of East Texas agricultural land can be individuals, owners of a company or have invested into the company making them part owners or partnerships.
From data collected in 2021 by the USDA, KETK has found how much of East Texas is foreign owned:
Anderson County
The county is 6.92% or 47,080 acres foreign owned with entities from Canada, Egypt, Lebanon, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Venezuela. A majority of the land is owned by corporations including Puzzlewood Ranch (7,160 acres) and Threetree Southern Growth (34,877 acres).
Angelina County
The county is 21.46% or 109,587 acres foreign owned with entities from Canada, Ireland and Sweden. A majority of the land is corporation and partnership owned by Crown Pine Realty (771 acres) and Crown Pine Timber (100,011 acres).
Bowie County
The county is 4.22% or 23,900 acres foreign owned with entities from Switzerland, China, the the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Germany, Canada, Austria, Sweden and Canada. The land is primarily owned by corporations or individually owned including Texarkana Riverbend Plantation (5,294 acres) and Belltown Farms 31 (3,564 acres).
Camp County
The county is .14% or 175 acres foreign owned with entities from France. The 175 acres is owned by Tokasha Holsteins, a corporation.
Cass County
The county is 12.44% or 74,592 acres foreign owned with entities from Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Cayman Islands, Sweden and Canada. It is primarily owned by partnerships including Red River Texarkana I (40,015 acres).
Cherokee County
The county is 13.34% or 89,900 acres foreign owned with entities from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, United Kingdom and Sweden. A majority of the land is partnership owned by Red River Nacogdoches I, II and Trs. (53,781 acres).
Franklin County
The county is 4.01% or 7,299 acres foreign owned with entities from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Canada and Italy. A majority of the land is corporation owned by Jersey Miniere Zinc Company (1,400 acres) and Stockyard Solar Project (1692 acres).
Gregg County
The county is .66% or 1,155 acres foreign owned with entities from Germany and the United Kingdom. A majority of the land is owned by a corporation under Ralf Kuenhoeffer (1,068 acres).
Harrison County
The county is 2.35% or 13,538 acres foreign owned with entities from United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, Cayman Islands and Sweden. A majority of land is owned by Nordic Texarkana (4,204 acres).
Henderson County
The county is 1.11% or 6,207 acres foreign owned with entities from Switzerland and the Netherlands. A majority of the land is owned by corporations including Davin Inc. (5,401 acres) and Golden Keys Farms (1,050 acres).
Hopkins County
The county is 2.68% or 13,162 acres foreign owned with entities from the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Mexico, Germany, Nepal, Portugal, Hong Kong, Italy and Venezuela. A majority of the land is individually owned.
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Houston County
The county is 3.81% or 30,017 acres foreign owned with entities from Canada, South Korea, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. A majority of the land is owned by corporations or partnerships including Threetree Southern Growth (11,168 acres) and Puzzlewood Ranch Company (4,710 acres).
Marion County
The county is 24.73% or 60,286 acres foreign owned with entities from Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Cayman Islands, Canada and Singapore. A majority of the land is owned by MWF IV Texarkana (12,256 acres) and Red River Texarkana (32,335 acres).
Morris County
The county is 1.6% or 2,580 acres foreign owned with entities from the Netherlands, Ireland, United Kingdom, Cambodia, Canada and Sweden. A majority of the land is owned by Invenergy Solar Project Development (1,648 acres).
Nacogdoches County
The county is 15.01% or 90,905 acres foreign owned with entities from Canada, Sweden and Germany. The land is owned by corporations and partnerships including Crown Pine Timber (32,383 acres) and Red River Nacogdoches II (37,920 acres).
Panola County
The county is 14.21% or 73,792 acres foreign owned with entities from Canada, Denmark and Cayman Islands. The land is mostly owned by partnerships including the Red River Nacogdoches I and Red River Nacogdoches II (61,100 acres).
Polk County
The county is 49.68% or 336,075 acres foreign owned with entities from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Luxembourg. A majority of land in the county is owned by corporations and partnerships including RMS Texas Timberlands (150,131 acres) and Tamarack Timber Co. (69,081 acres).
Rains County
The county is .16% or 231 acres foreign owned with an entity from Luxembourg, the Trans-Atlantic Consultants, a corporation.
Rusk County
The county is 1.87% or 11,061 acres foreign owned with entities from Canada. It is primarily owned by partnerships including the Crown Pine Timber (4,827 acres).
Sabine County
The county is 1.38% or 4,343 acres foreign owned with entities from Canada. A majority of the land is owned by partnerships by the Red River Louisiana Trs (3,546 acres).
San Augustine County
The county is 20.24% or 68,745 acres foreign owned with entities from Canada and Denmark. A majority of the land is owned by corporations including Crown Pine Timber I (50,749 acres).
Shelby County
The county is 8% or 40,735 acres foreign owned with entities from Belize, Canada and Denmark. The land is primarily owned by partnerships including Red River Nacogdoches I (26,705 acres).
Smith County
The county is .39% or 2,300 acres foreign owned with entities from Guatemala and United Kingdom. A majority of the land is owned by Prins Ranch Properties, a partnership (2,071 acres).
Titus County
The county is .25% or 650 acres foreign owned by individuals from South Korea and the Netherlands.
Trinity County
The county is 19.46% or 86,409 acres foreign owned with entities from Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands. The majority of owners are partnerships and corporations including RMS Texas Timberlands I (21,583 acres).
Upshur County
The county is .74% or 2,761 acres foreign owned with entities form Canada, Sweden and the Netherlands. A majority of the land is owned by individuals.
Van Zandt County
The county is .44% or 2,373 acres foreign owned with entities from India, China, Switzerland, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Canada and New Zealand. A majority of the land is owned by individuals or partnerships including McQuinn Limited (1,081 acres).
Wood County
The county is 1.18% or 4,873 acres foreign owned with entities from the Netherlands, Switzerland and United Kingdom. The land is primarily owned by individuals or corporations including Prins Ranch Properties (3,702 acres).
Texas Legislators Address Foreign Ownership Concerns
In recent years, Texas politicians have sounded the alarm on “hostile foreign organizations” and have tried to stop them from owning land and assets in the state.
Filed in November 2022, Senate Bill 147, aimed to prohibit certain foreign individuals or entities from purchasing or acquiring the title to real property including governmental entities, companies or citizens of China, Iran, North Korea and Russia that made no exception for dual citizens or visa holders.
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The Asian Americans Leadership Council, a non-partisan nonprofit organization, called the bill anti-immigrant and classified immigrants from the four countries as a security threat, “ignoring that these individuals left their home countries in search of the American Dream.”
However, District 18 Sen. Lois W. Kolkhorst said S.B. 147 was needed after more Texans had been alarmed by the increased acquisition of land by primarily Chinese interests.
“The growing ownership of Texas land by some foreign entities is highly disturbing and raises red flags for many Texans,” Kolkhorst said. “By comparison, as an American go try to buy land near a Chinese military base and see how it works out for you. It would never happen there and it shouldn’t happen here. Passing this law delivers some basic safeguards to ensure Texans remain in control of Texas land.”
Foreign Ownership in East Texas by “Hostile” Countries
According to the Foreign Holdings of U.S. Agricultural Land, foreign entities reported holding approximately 40 million agricultural acres in the U.S., of that, Chinese entities own less than 1% or around 384,000 acres. In Texas, Chinese entities own about 162,000 acres.
In East Texas, KETK found only Bowie and Van Zandt counties have Chinese individuals who own agricultural land totaling 2,580 acres, or about .214% of that owned by all foreign entities. Using data from the USDA, no Russian, Iranian or North Korean entities own agricultural land in East Texas.
Chairman Rep. Cole Hefner takes initiative to ban foreign land owners
However, Rep. Cole Hefner, a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Mount Pleasant, which has no “hostile foreign countries” owning land, is the chairman for the newly formed House Select Committee on Securing Texas from Hostile Foreign Organizations.
The committee met for the first time in late July where Hefner said they discussed the main goal “to ban the Chinese Communist Party and other adversaries from owning land in Texas.”
The committee will also recommend policy changes that will “mitigate the risks posed by ownership of Texas assets,” examine rates of intellectual property theft and identify industries impacted.
To watch the full video from the committee’s first meeting, visit the Texas House of Representatives website.
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