Could Foreign Land Ownership Be Reshaping Michigan?

How much of Michigan is actually owned by Michiganders?

Both foreign and domestic policies are under review in this ever-changing political climate. As American lawmakers aim to curb outside influence we can't help but turn our attention to what's happening in our own backyard:

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Who is the Largest Foreign Landowner in Michigan?

A new report originally published by Up North Live highlights a new bill proposed by Michigan legislators which targets foreign ownership of Michigan's agricultural land. In May 2025 the Michigan House of Representatives passed House Bill 4233 which provides for the,

prohibition for foreign entity to purchase farmland in Michigan

Introduced by Rep. Gina Johnsen (R-Lake Odessa) and co-sponsored by Rep. Cam Cavitt (R-Cheboygan) if passed by the Michigan Senate the bill would require certain foreign adversaries who currently own land in Michigan to sell it and would create restrictions on which countries can and can't purchase farmland here. As Rep. Cavitt told WPBN/WGTU,

We're very susceptible. People are nervous about that. So much so that they've asked us to compile a law to prohibit our foreign adversaries or principles is the term that they use from purchasing agricultural land which includes timber stands here in the state of Michigan

Domestic v. Foreign Ownership

We've looked into this before and have found the State of Michigan and the Federal Government own nearly a quarter of all the land in the state, but what about the rest? Last we knew it was "Big Timber" who was grabbing up all the land in Michigan with Lyme Great Lakes Holding LLC announcing the purchase 550,000 acres of land in the Upper Peninsula for $300 million in cash back in 2019.

According to Simon Schuster, a Capitol reporter with Bridge Michigan who has delved into Michigan land ownership, between tax havens and shell corporations it can be very tricky to figure out the true nature of foreign landowners in Michigan and often requires a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to be submitted:

What I've learned from this reporting, frankly, is that if you want to hide the ownership, especially the country of origin that owns agricultural land in the state of Michigan, it isn't difficult to do so - Simon Schuster

Schuster uncovered Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) owns roughly 5% or 540,000 acres of land in the Upper Peninsula making them the largest identifiable private foreign landowner in the state.

This surpasses 2023 data from Michigan State University which shows The Netherlands and Canada accounted for nearly 60% of all foreign ownership.