Bill Gates owns 242,000 acres of farmland, making him America's biggest private-farmland owner, according to a new report
Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and fourth-richest person in the world, owns farmland in 18 US states from Washington to Florida.
The Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates owns 242,000 acres of farmland in the US, making him the largest private-farmland owner, an analysis by The Land Report found.
Gates, whose net worth of nearly $121 billion makes him the world's fourth-richest person, and his wife, Melinda Gates, hold an extensive farmland portfolio stretching over 18 states, according to The Land Report.
The Gates family's biggest holdings are in Louisiana (69,071 acres), Arkansas (47,927 acres), and Nebraska (20,588 acres), the report said.
Their farmland is held both directly and through Cascade Investment, a firm controlled by Gates to manage his investments, according to The Land Report.
Gates also owns several thousand acres of transitional land. The Arizona Republic reported in 2017 that about 25,000 acres near Phoenix that Cascade Investment bought a "significant stake" in were being transformed into a suburb with space for 80,000 homes; more than 4,000 acres for schools, offices, and stores; and 3,400 acres of open space.
Gates' farmland ownership isn't entirely surprising. In 2017, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $300 million over three years to support research to help low-income farmers in Asia and Africa adapt to climate change.
The following year, the Gates Foundation announced it would invest $40 million in research to help breed chickens that lay better-quality eggs and cows that produce more milk for farms in South Asia and Africa.
Runners-up in The Land Report's rankings were the Offutt family, whose history in farming dates back to 1964, with 190,000 acres.
Stewart and Lynda Resnick, the cofounders of the investment firm the Wonderful Company, also own 190,000 acres of farmland in the US, according to The Land Report. They own the brand behind Wonderful Pistachios, POM Wonderful, and Wonderful Halos Mandarins.
Though Gates is the US's top farmland owner, according to The Land Report, he's far from the biggest landowner. The top spot in The Land Report's list of the 100 largest US landowners in 2019 belonged to John Malone, the billionaire businessman, landowner, and philanthropist, with 2.2 million acres of land.
Gates, whose net worth of nearly $121 billion makes him the world's fourth-richest person, and his wife, Melinda Gates, hold an extensive farmland portfolio stretching over 18 states, according to The Land Report.
The Gates family's biggest holdings are in Louisiana (69,071 acres), Arkansas (47,927 acres), and Nebraska (20,588 acres), the report said.
Their farmland is held both directly and through Cascade Investment, a firm controlled by Gates to manage his investments, according to The Land Report.
Gates also owns several thousand acres of transitional land. The Arizona Republic reported in 2017 that about 25,000 acres near Phoenix that Cascade Investment bought a "significant stake" in were being transformed into a suburb with space for 80,000 homes; more than 4,000 acres for schools, offices, and stores; and 3,400 acres of open space.
Gates' farmland ownership isn't entirely surprising. In 2017, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $300 million over three years to support research to help low-income farmers in Asia and Africa adapt to climate change.
The following year, the Gates Foundation announced it would invest $40 million in research to help breed chickens that lay better-quality eggs and cows that produce more milk for farms in South Asia and Africa.
Runners-up in The Land Report's rankings were the Offutt family, whose history in farming dates back to 1964, with 190,000 acres.
Stewart and Lynda Resnick, the cofounders of the investment firm the Wonderful Company, also own 190,000 acres of farmland in the US, according to The Land Report. They own the brand behind Wonderful Pistachios, POM Wonderful, and Wonderful Halos Mandarins.
Though Gates is the US's top farmland owner, according to The Land Report, he's far from the biggest landowner. The top spot in The Land Report's list of the 100 largest US landowners in 2019 belonged to John Malone, the billionaire businessman, landowner, and philanthropist, with 2.2 million acres of land.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
