The world's fourth richest person owns the massive land resources either directly or through third-party entities by his personal investment vehicle.
The co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates, is not only proficient in the world of software and technology. It was recently revealed that Gates is also the biggest farmland owner in the United States, with a portfolio across 18 states of the country.
As per the Land Report, Bill Gates had accumulated as much as 2,42,000 acres in land acreage. Along with his wife, Melinda Gates, he has an ownership of 2,68,984 acres of land. Most of his portfolio consists of farmland and it also includes 25,750 acres of transitional land and 1,234 acres of recreational land.
According to reports, the Gates have maximum holdings of 69,071 acres in the state of Louisiana. It is followed by Arkansas (47,927 acres), Nebraska (20,588 acres), Illinois (17,940 acre), Mississippi (16,963 acres), and Washington (16,097 acres).
It is to be noted that Bill Gates also has a stake in 25,750 acres of transitional land in Phoenix, Arizona. This land is being developed into a new suburb.
The Gates family are therefore the largest farmland owners in the US, followed by the Offutt family and Stewart and Lynda Resnick.
It is not the first time that the Gates have revealed their interest in agriculture. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had in 2008 announced USD 306 million in grants for the promotion of high-yield and sustainable agriculture among farmers with small holdings in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Their foundation had also invested in the development of climate change-resistant crops under the aegis of an NGO, Ag One.
The world's fourth richest person with a wealth of more than USD 120 billion owns the massive land resources either directly or through third-party entities by the Cascade Investments. The Cascade Investments is Bill Gates' personal investment vehicle, with investments in Canadian National Railway and food safety company Ecolab.
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