Here’s my take on RFK Jr.’s explanation of why figures like Bill Gates and Chinese entities are snapping up U.S. farmland, specifically his point about hog farms. He says small hog farms got crushed by industrial-scale competitors, struggled to stay afloat, and were then consolidated and sold off, often to foreign buyers like China. It’s a straightforward chain of events, and I can see the logic. Big operations with deep pockets can outprice and outproduce smaller farms, driving them to the brink. When those farms go under or get desperate, they’re ripe for acquisition by whoever’s got the cash—whether it’s a billionaire like Gates or a foreign entity.
The explanation holds water as far as market dynamics go. Industrial farming’s been a wrecking ball for small operators for decades. Consolidation’s just what happens when the little guy can’t keep up. RFK’s framing makes it sound like a natural consequence of unchecked capitalism, though he doesn’t dive into whether policy could’ve slowed it down. I’d say it’s less about “allowing” Gates or China to buy land and more about a system that lets wealth concentrate like that. The China angle raises eyebrows—national security’s a real concern when foreign powers own food production—but Gates? He’s just playing the same game as any tycoon.
Still, RFK’s answer feels like it skims the surface. He nails the “how” but sidesteps the deeper “why”—like, what’s driving the global rush for farmland? Is it just profit, or something bigger, like food security or control? It’s a solid starting point, but I’d want more meat on the bones.
