Bill Gates, the fourth richest person in the world and co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, has been quietly purchasing 242,000 acres of farmland, making him the largest farmland owner in the country.
According to the Land Report, Gates has farmland in 18 states with the most extensive acreage in Louisiana (69,071 acres), Arkansas (47,927 acres) and Nebraska (20,588 acres). According to Forbes, it is not entirely clear how the farmland is being used, but there is some indication the land is used in a way that aligns with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s values.
“Cottonwood Ag Management, a subsidiary of Cascade Investments, (Gates’ personal investment vehicle), is a member of Leading Harvest, a nonprofit that promotes sustainable agriculture standards that prioritize protections of crops, soil and water resources.”
The largest landowner is John Malone, who was CEO of cable provider Tele-Communications, Inc. and sold it to AT&T, owns 2.2 million acres. His land is mostly in Maine, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming, and includes cattle ranches.
