Who is Bill Gates? He is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur who cofounded Microsoft Corporation, the world’s largest personal-computer software company. Bill Gates is not just that; he is now America’s farmland king as he currently owns the largest farmland area in all America. With tech giants like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos ruling and battling for the top position in the world’s richest list, Gates has safely won the crown of being the largest farmland owner in America by purchasing over 242,000 acres of farmland across 19 states (he is still the fourth richest man in the world). Bill and Melinda Gates have the largest landholdings in Louisiana (69,071 acres), Arkansas (47,927 acres), Nebraska (20,588 acres), Arizona (25,750 acres), and Washington State (16,097). The legendary couple is well known for their contribution to the agricultural space and supporting farmers in the developing world. In 2008, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced $306 million in grants designed to boost the yields and incomes of millions of small farmers in Africa as well as “other parts of the developing world so they can lift themselves and their families out of hunger and poverty.”
While they haven’t made the purpose of these extravagant purchases clear (his most recent large land purchase was for a 14,500-acre tract in Horse Heaven Hills for a price of $171 million), it is speculated the land will be used in the future by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with regards to sustainable farming and agricultural support for several countries. It should be known that Gates only owns the most farmland in America; the title of the largest landowner stays with John Malone, who owns over 2.2 million acres of land in America.
[Via: Market Watch]
