JANUARY 15, 2021
A new report shows that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is the largest private farmland owner in the United States.
Gates, the world’s fourth-richest person with a net worth of over $120 billion, reportedly owns 242,000 acres of farmland in the country stretching across 18 states, according to an analysis by the Land Report.
Louisiana is the state where Gates owns the most land, 68,071 acres, followed by Arkansas with 47,927 and Nebraska with 20,588.
The farmland is owned both directly and through a firm controlled by Gates named Cascade Investment.
The Gates family has been actively investing in farming for several years, including a $300 million donation in 2017 supporting research to help low-income farmers in Asia and Africa battle climate change.
In 2018, the Gates Foundation invested $40 million researching how to breed chickens that lay better quality eggs and cows that produce more milk in Asia and Africa.
The Gates Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
Courtesy/Source: Washington Examiner
