LDS church buys dozens of farms 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ (LDS) real estate arm, Farmland Reserve, is acquiring 46 farms spanning 41,500 acres across eight states for $289 million.

The purchase includes land in Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma and the Carolinas. Farmland Reserve, a nonprofit affiliated with LDS, is buying the properties from real estate investor Farmland Partners.

This acquisition adds significantly to the church’s agricultural holdings across the U.S. According to Landgate, a commercial real estate advisory service, the church owns 1.7 million acres of farmland.