Analyzing Levels of Foreign Investment in U.S. Agricultural Land

摘要

Geographic clustering of foreign investment in U.S. agricultural land is observed in maps when investment data are distributed by county. Multiple regression techniques performed to test for relationships between foreign investment and readily available agricultural and economic variables do not adequately explain the variation in levels of foreign ownership among counties. The low explanatory power of the variables suggests that (1) foreign investors appear not to represent a unique subset of owners of agricultural real estate or (2) factors other than those tested may better explain the variation in foreign investment levels among counties.