Our era is dominated by the ultra-rich, the climate crisis and a burgeoning green capitalism. In six years that number has more than doubled. (Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Times via AP file), The buildings of the 100 Circles Farm are at the center of this satellite image. But Gates, known for his philanthropic work solving some of the worlds most pressing public health and climate problems, has suggested that he does not treat his American farmland investments as part of his broader plans to save the planet. The company also took to Twitter to reject the false narrative. They said farmland has been a popular investment for a long time because of its stability. As more and more land gets developed, if you own land that is in the path of the plan, you could have buyers offering you big money to take hold of the property. The 13,573-square-foot home has six bedrooms, 11 bedrooms and more luxury features than you can count. It is possible to make high double digit returns on land that you bought for an affordable price only a few years prior. As more and more land becomes developed, less and less raw land is available, which potentially increases the value as demand remains the same or even increases. The title for largest landholdings overall goes to US businessman John Malone, chairman of Liberty Media, who owns 2.2million acres. The firm is a shareholder in Dallas-based Invitation Homes, which owns nearly 80,000 single-family rentals nationwide. Farmers just aren't owning the assets anymore. In this country, enslaved Black labor first built US wealth atop stolen Native land. We know that one of the best ways to sequester carbon is through the soil. Right? The sale was notable because it added to Gates' farmland holdings which includes large tracts of land in Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, California, and about a dozen other states. When pressed during a book discussion on Reddit about why hes gobbling up so much farmland, Gates claimed, It is not connected to climate [change]. The decision, he said, came from his investment group. Cascade Investment, the firm making these acquisitions, is controlled by Gates. That makes Invitation Homes the largest operator of single-family rental homes in the country, but still represents a tiny fraction of all such homes. The Associated Press reports that last week, billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates was cleared to purchase 2,100 acres of rural North Dakota farmland. Bill Gates' farmland buying spree highlights investment appeal than 85 million single-family homes in the country, and only around 15 million of those are rentals, Of those rentals, less than a third are owned by non-individual investors, according to. The 1862 Homestead Act opened up 270m acres of Indigenous territory which amounts to 10% of US land for white settlement. So while the tech mogul certainly owns a large constellation of farms, its nowhere close to the majority nationwide. Bill Gates acquired six parcels of land in Pembina County. Gates owns almost 9,000 acres in Ohio, just over 9,000 acres in Indiana, nearly 18,000 in Illinois, but only 552 acres in Iowa. Additionally, through his personal investment firm, Cascade, Bill Gates owns approximately half of the Four Season Holdings' hotel chain. That land is now largely rented out to various farmers. The worlds richest 1% emit double the carbon of the poorest 50%, an 2020 Oxfam study found. Can You Build A Wedding Venue On Residential Land? Several Properties in Wellington, Florida: $27.2 Million (Total). Bill Gates, the billionaire founder of Microsoft, has been revealed as the biggest private owner of farmland in the US, after buying up 242,000 acres in 18 states. According to the Tri-City Herald, 14,500 acres of Eastern Washington farmland was recently sold to the couple for almost $171 millionthats nearly $12,000 an acre. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'askbamland_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_7',108,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-askbamland_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0'); While the land that Bill Gates owns is already developed for farming and likely costs a ton of money, land can also be quite affordable. Farmland can be an investment in several ways. | Photo by Wikimedia Commons . That's one of the many takeaways from the 2021 Land Report 100, which is compiled each year by Land Report magazine. Another 5,500 acres was sold to Generation Land Georgia, a company that shares an address with Miami-based Optimum Agriculture, which bought Generations Farms in 2019. Media billionaire Ted Turner has also invested in 2 million acres of land (much of it rangeland and prairie, rather than cropland) and earned the distinction of being the largest private owner of buffalo herds that roam the 200,000 acres of his private ranch, The Guardian reported. Bill Gates has secured legal approval for the controversial purchase of thousands of acres of prime North Dakota farmland, after the deal drew fury from the state's residents. Tuesday, the office of the Attorney General sent out a letter asking the Red River Trust to confirm how the company plans to use the land . Learn more about fact-checking at AP. What expertise in climate science or agriculture Gates possesses beyond being filthy rich is anyones guess. Inside Bill Gates' $80BILLION property empire - The US Sun Bill Gates does not own the majority of U.S. farmland. Bill Gates has secured legal approval for his North Dakota farmland purchase But the deal drew scrutiny under a 1932 anti-corporate farm ownership law Now state AG says the deal is legal, because . Cascade did not immediately respond to a phone message Friday, and the company declined to comment to The Land Report other than to say that Cascade is very supportive of sustainable farming, the outlet said. A few years ago, Bill Gates has announced plans to build a smart city outside of Buckeye in Arizona. , updated We would love to talk to you! In emails, BlackRock spokesman Christopher Beattie told The Associated Press that the firm primarily invests in retail, office buildings, hotels and apartment complexes, rather than single-family homes, but he declined to provide a breakdown. The land that Gates owns is located in several states and consists primarily of commercial farmland. CNN founder Ted Turner owns 2 million acres of land largely in New Mexico, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Georgia. from February that showed there were more than 895 million total acres of farmland in the country last year. You just have to keep it relatively clean, mow it, and pay property taxes. A 2018 purchase of 14,500 acres of prime eastern Washington farmland which is traditional Yakama territory for $171m helped him get that title. That was a virus I got from Ted Turner.. The Land Report revealed that Gates, who has a net worth of nearly $121 billion according to Forbes, has built up a massive farmland . One per cent of the worlds farms control 70% of the worlds farmlands, one report found. This can be an affordable way to get started with your raw land investments. The comments below have not been moderated, By Bill and Melinda Gates Own 70,000 Acres of Louisiana Farmland; What Bill Gates was also an early investor in fake-meat companies aiming to combat the environmental harms of raising livestock by creating more convincing, plant-based alternatives. But why do a handful of people own so much land? The attraction that people have to investing in farmland is that it tends to be countercyclical to the stock market. Land holds ample opportunities for growth and development, yet you may find that there is more land than there is competition. Though the Gateses are major owners of American farmland, the couples holdings only represent a fraction of the 283 million acres of farmland that is owned and rented out by nonfarmers. We Now Know Why Creepy Bill Gates Invested in All of That US Farmland The billionaire says he purchased the land because they are not making it anymore.. In addition, he owns 25,750 acres of transitional land and 1,234 acres of recreational land for total land holdings of 268,984 acres. Gates-affiliated ownership covers vast swaths of farm and timberland, estimated to be 69,071 acres in all by niche land ownership publication The Land Repor t. Across the nation, Gates'. Wonderful Company cofounders Stewart and Lynda Resnick (net worth: $7.1 billion) ranked number three . If you own a good amount of land, then you have the possibility of subdividing it into multiple lots that can generate separate income streams. Although the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is not directly connected with Cascade or its investments, it also has a farmland initiative: Gates Ag One, established in the Greater St. Louis area, with a mission to help 'smallholder farmers adapt to climate change and make food production in low- and middle-income countries more productive, resilient, and sustainable. In May, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates revealed in a Twitter statement their decision to end their marriage after 27 years. It makes no sense.. That doesnt mean that every piece of land is a good investment, but a significant amount of land will offer a high return on investment. The agriculture sector is important, he wrote. Maps Mania: The United Gates of America - Blogger The billionaire couple, in less than a. But, As of February 2021, Gates has made headlines across the wor. While the Gateses are best known for their philanthropic work tackling large-scale societal problems, like funding the coronavirus vaccine and controlling malaria via the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, they have also invested in some companies rethinking food production and have endorsed the use of genetically modified seeds as one way to increase farming productivity and feed more people globally. Bill Gates owns a lot of American farmland, but not the majority By PHILIP MARCELO May 2, 2022 CLAIM: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates owns the majority of America's farmland and the investment firm BlackRock holds the majority of single family houses in the country. The land we all live on should not be the sole property of a few. At this valuation, Gates likely paid close to $2 billion for the luxury-hotel business. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'askbamland_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_5',106,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-askbamland_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); While farmland, and land in general, will undergo economic factors and changes to demand, it is very likely to increase in value as the years roll by. has grabbed headlines in recent days, some prominent voices have taken to social media to claim that some other significant acquisitions by deep-pocketed individuals and corporations have largely flown under the radar. Why does Bill Gates own so much farmland? - FoodIndustry.Com of the richest people in the country, owns less than one percent of the nations total farmland. Bill Gates now the biggest owner of farmland in the US Black, Mexican, Asian, and Native people, of course, were categorically excluded from the benefits of a federal program that subsidized and protected generations of white wealth. Quarterman also serves as the Suwannee Riverkeeper and advocates for conservation of the intricate network of springs and rivers in the region, where water from the swamps of Georgia flow into Florida before they release into the Gulf of Mexico. It may even be easier to sell smaller lots than it would be to market the entire portion of land that you invest in. Besides the enrollment of their landholdings in Leading Harvest, the Gates Foundation in 2020 also created an agricultural nonprofit, Gates Ag One, which focuses on bringing affordable solutions to small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to improve crop productivity. A 2018 purchase of 14,500 acres of prime eastern Washington farmland - which is traditional. Someone else is owning that asset, whether it's rented equipment or land. In addition, the land is audited to meet sustainability standards including soil health and water management. The billionaire tech mogul and philanthropist has quietly amassed nearly 270,000 acres of farmland across the country, but thats still a relatively small slice of the nations nearly 900 million total farm acres. The Gates Foundation said in a statement that its agriculture efforts do not extend to farming in the U.S. If not for climate, then why is Bill Gates buying so much farmland? Does Bill Gates Own the Majority of US Farmland? | Snopes.com He said that this is where large tracts of rich farmland is used to raise livestock and grow many of the vegetables that end up in grocery aisles up and down the East Coast. We think we now know. We've received your submission. The Microsoft co-founder is considered the largest private owner of farmland in the country with some 269,000 acres across dozens of states, according to last years edition of. Brittany has been in the land business since 2020 when the world was starting to shut down. Bill Gates found to be the largest farmland owner in the U.S - KARK His land ownership spans across 19 states. And Bill Gates new book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster positions himself as a thought leader in how to stop putting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and how to fund what he has called elsewhere a global green revolution to help poor farmers mitigate climate change. America's Biggest Owner Of Farmland Is Now Bill Gates - Forbes Gates and his investment team own more than 240,000 acres, as reported by O'Keefe, including 2,167 acres in Michigan. Why Is Bill Gates Buying Farmland? How Much Does He Own? - Farmfolio There are also growing trends revolving around the purchase of low acreage farmland and noncommercial farming. And that its going to take big swaths of land, like what Bill Gates has taken, to do that, said Konda Mason, the founder and president of Jubilee Justice and Potlikker Capital, which funds and supports regenerative agriculture projects owned by people of color. Like wealth, land ownership is becoming concentrated into fewer and fewer hands, resulting in a greater push for monocultures and more intensive industrial farming techniques to generate greater returns. Land is power, land is wealth, and, more importantly, land is about race and class. For Indigenous caretakers, land use isnt premised on a return of investments; its about maintaining the land for the next generation, meeting the needs of the present, and a respect for the diversity of life. The farmland real estate investment trust (REIT) Farmland Partners, which owns 156,500 acres in 16 US states, has seen its traded value more than double since November and is trading near an. Bill Gates Doesn't Own That Much Farmland | Aaron Smith The January 11 issue of The Land Report is worth reading. Ownership of Angelina Plantation Farms, which sits among three wildlife areas in Monterey with a view of Bayou Cocodrie, and other property has been a . All that farming has led to large water withdrawals from Florida's aquifer system and requires fertilizer, which leaches through the ground into waterways, emptying nitrogen that has led to destructive algae blooms and severe loss of fish and marsh habitats. The billionaire Microsoft co-founder has become the largest owner of farmland in the. Bill Gates, the fourth richest person in the world, currently owns 242,000 acres of farmland, making him the top private farmland owner in America, according to Forbes. Gates and his investment team own more than 240,000 acres, as reported by Eric O'Keefe, including 2,167 acres in Michigan. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'askbamland_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_9',109,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-askbamland_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); Raw land can be a great way to generate passive income or even spur large profits in the long term (or even short term if you know what you are doing). So what is this guy planning? In Georgia and Florida, NBC News independently confirmed through research of property records that the Gateses investment firm owns more than 7,000 acres through two limited liability companies, Lakeland Sands and Lakeland Sands Florida, LLC. But those working on projects with both investors and farmers to create ecologically sustainable farming methods and support diverse and disadvantaged farming communities say rethinking agriculture and working to avert a climate crisis go hand in hand. Gates shares 95% of the ownership with Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. These states include: Arizona - 25,750 acres; Arkansas - 47,927 acres Fact Check-Bill Gates doesn't own most U.S. farmland - Reuters They own the soil where the potatoes in McDonalds french fries grow, the carrots from the worlds largest producer and the onions that Americans saut every night for dinner. "The agriculture sector is important. One answer might surprise you: While trying to track down who recently purchased 14,500 acres of choice farmland in Washington state's Columbia River Basin, researchers at The Land Report discovered the new owner was Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. A 6,300-acre farm owned by Bill Gates in Madison County could become the site of one of the nation's largest solar farms. To put that into perspective, thats nearly the size of Hong Kong and twice the acreage of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, where Im an enrolled member. Renewable energy company Savion has an option to buy the property for what is being called Oak Run Solar Project, according to Madison County property records. Bill Gates top private farmland owner in US. The land is owned both directly and indirectly by Cascade Investment, the Seattle-area firm that Gates the worlds third-richest man with a net worth of $132 billion, according to Bloomberg set up to manage his massive fortune, according to The Land Report. buying an increasing share of the U.S. housing market. This number stems from last year's edition of . Where Does Bill Gates Own Farmland in the US. Bill and Melinda Gates, who recently announced they're getting divorced and are dividing their assets, are deeply invested in American agriculture. What Land Does Bill Gates Own In Michigan? - PartyShopMaine After all, few can out-bid Bill Gates. In 2018 Gates reportedly bought about 16,000 acres in his home state of Washington, including a 14,500-acre tract in the Horse Heaven Hills region that was purchased for nearly $171 million from an insurance company that had paid $75million for it in 2010. This is where a country sells land when the owner becomes delinquent on their property taxes. The 66,000-square-foot home overlooks Lake Washington and, although there is no exact estimate of the homes value currently, it had a total assessed value of $147.5 million on 2009 property tax documents. Plan for solar farm targets Gates' land - PressReader When Bill Gates, or whatever other investment arm owns the land, a farmer still needs to farm it. According to The Land Report, the Microsoft co-founder owns farmland across 18 states, with the largest holdings being in Louisiana (69,071 acres), Arkansas (47,927 acres) and Nebraska (20,588. Bill Gates' 242,000 Acres of Farmland Could Be Split in Divorce This means that there is not much to maintain on it unless you want to add your own buildings or other property. Not only is it usable by you, but land can be used for so many different things. McDonald's french fries, carrots, onions: all of the foods that come BILL Gates' $80billion property empire now hangs in the balance after he and his wife of 27 years announced they are divorcing. Is this simply a diversification of Gates' massive tech investment portfolio? Recently, an article in Land Report stated that Bill Gates owns more American farmland than anyone else. This means that you can find good deals that may be just the thing you are looking for. He is an assistant professor in the American studies department at the University of New Mexico. The six-bed Del Mar home, which boasts a ten-person jacuzzi and swimming pool overlooking the ocean, was bought by the couple in late Marchas the international coronavirus pandemic began to take hold. There are more than 85 million single-family homes in the country, and only around 15 million of those are rentals, according to the latest American Housing Survey by the Census Bureau. While the Gates own a lot of farmland, nonfarmers own 283 million acres of farmland throughout the U.S. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'askbamland_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_3',103,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-askbamland_com-medrectangle-4-0'); This article will go into detail about how much land Bill Gates owns and why he owns so much. Lots of articles on this are full of "4D chess" speculations about climate change blah blah, but the real reason for this seems to be very simple: "just to collect rent." As of 2020, industry reports show he owned about 0.027% of U.S. farmland. Private Residence at the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana: Estimated $5-25 Million. The relationship to land who owns it, who works it and who cares for it reflects obscene levels of inequality and legacies of colonialism and white supremacy in the United States, and also the world. Why is Bill Gates buying up US farmland? - DW - 04/09/2021 Xanadu 2.0 in Medina, Washington: Estimated $140-170 Million, Source: Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times. Gates has been buying land like its going out of style. Much of Turner's land is used as grazing land for over 50,000 head of buffalo . By Port: Bill Gates can't buy land in North Dakota? - InForum His 242,000 acres of farmland stretch across 18 states from Washington to Florida,. Our inventory spans mostly in the western United States. According to the Land Report 100 Research Team, that figure is currently more than twice that amount, which means Bill Gates, cofounder of Microsoft, has an alter ego: Farmer Bill, the guy who owns more farmland than anyone else in America. The private residential area is home to numerous A-list celebrity couples including Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel. There are also ways to generate passive income on the land without selling it because you can lease the land or sell the mineral rights, among other methods. Properties up for grabs include a $123million mansion with a trampoline room and a $43million oceanfront mansion with a ten-person jacuzzi. the latest American Housing Survey by the Census Bureau. Follow Bill Gates: Do Not Invest In Tech, Invest In Farmland - Gizchina.com In fact, Gates is the owner of over 270,000 acres of farmland, which is worth over $700 million! by Harvard Universitys Joint Center for Housing Studies. Bill Gates is investing big in American farmland | Crosscut So while the tech mogul certainly owns a large constellation of farms, its nowhere close to the majority nationwide. The trend worries young farmers who cannot compete with the likes of Bill Gates when buying land, according to Holly Rippon-Butler, a farmer in upstate New York and the land campaigns director at the National Young Farmers Coalition. CLAIM: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates owns the majority of Americas farmland and the investment firm BlackRock holds the majority of single family houses in the country. FILE - Bill Gates attends a discussion during the 'Munich Security Conference' in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022. Farm Gates - Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal When fully developed the area could be home to 200,000 residents and be similar in size to the Phoenix suburb of Tempe, The Land Report said. You can read more about us, here. retail, office buildings, hotels and apartment complexes, rather than single-family homes, but he declined to provide a breakdown. Real estate mogul and owner of the Los Angeles Rams, Stan Kroenke, owns 1.4 million acres of land in the United States, including a 124,000 acre ranch in Montana and additional land in Wyoming. Raw land is not developed. Many people wonder why Bill Gates would make these moves with his investment portfolio. In other words, when the economy is struggling, the value of farmland generally doesnt depreciate. Public records suggest Cascade Investments has bought its farmland through a web of at least 22 limited liability shell companies across the country. The tech mogul, who is the fourth richest person in the world with a net worth of $121billion, according to Forbes, has quietly built up a massive agriculture portfolio. , said his investment group was behind the purchases, and suggested it was linked to seed and biofuel development. Farmland in those parts is valuable, commanding prices between $10,000 and $15,000 per acre, far beyond the state average of about $2,000. - Bill and Melinda Gates are taking on the new title of the biggest farmland owners in the United States, with a good chunk of that ownership being in Arkansas. Land holds ample opportunities for growth and development, yet you may find that there is more land than there is competition. Lemmon Holdings, the billionaire spent $80 million to purchase. Bill Gates may no longer be the world's richest man, but he can claim a new title: America's farmland king. From mortgage info and housing trends to updates on which celebritys bathroom is equipped with a Vitamin-C infused shower, Housecall covers the entire moving and shaking gamut of the industry decision to end their marriage after 27 years, How to Know Youve Found the Home of Your Dreams, 3 Reasons to Hire Pest Control Services After Moving Into Your Home, 4 Additions For Your New Bathroom Remodel, Top Kitchen Design Trends to Consider for Your Renovation, Inside Jeff Bezos Multi-Billion Dollar Real Estate Portfolio, Reasons to Take Care of a Water Leak in Your Home as Soon as Possible, A Quick Guide to Stopping Ceiling Leaks in Your Home, 10 Tips for Taking Care of Wood Furniture, 5 Important Facts About Your Rain Gutter System, 5 Strategies for Making Moving House as Smooth as Possible, Lessons Every Homeowner Can Learn This Winter to Prepare for the Next, How to Spot Foundation Issues in an Old Home. Published: 18:36 ET, Dec 8 2022 Updated: 10:03 ET, Dec 9 2022 A MAP has revealed which billionaire owns the largest amount of land in the US - you'll be shocked to know that it isn't Bill Gates. The third richest man on the planet doesnt have a green thumb. In every state where the Gateses own land, a tangled web of locally registered limited liability companies follow. ', Cascade did not elaborate on the agricultural land purchases other than to say that the company is 'very supportive of sustainable farming.'.