LAND REPORT: Bill Gates is the Largest Private Farmland Owner in the U.S.

Posted on 01/16/2021


Microsoft founder Bill Gates is now the biggest private owner of farmland in the U.S., according to The Land Report.

Bill Gates (age 65), the billionaire founder of Microsoft Corporation, largest land holdings are in Louisiana, Arkansas, Arizona, and Nebraska, owning 268,984 acres of land of all kinds. Bill Gates’s largest holdings include 69,071 acres in Louisiana, 47,927 acres in Arkansas, 25,750 acres in Arizona, 20,588 acres in Nebraska, and 16,097 in Washington state. The farmland assets are held in Cascade Investment. Cottonwood Ag Management is a farm management unit of Cascade Investment.

In 2017, the Land Report revealed Bill Gates’ largest single plot of land was acquired by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments). CPP Investments sold US$ 520 million worth of U.S. farmland assets that were held by Agriculture Company of America, a holding of CPP Investments. The Land Report believes the 61 properties valued at around US$ 500 million were sold to Cascade Investment. In 2018, Cascade Investments acquired the large 100 Circles tract in the Horse Heaven Hills of Eastern Washington for an estimated price tag of US$ 171 million.

Cascade Investment also owns horse properties and land primed for development. In 2017, Cascade Investments bought a large tract of 24,800 acres on the Western metro side of Phoenix.

Bill Gates has a net worth of US$ 121 billion, according to Forbes.

On another note, while wealthy billionaires continue to gobble up farmland and rural properties (nothing new under the sun), the World Economic Forum earlier put out a marketing campaign envisioning what life could be like in 2030 for the average person.


Source: World Economic Forum marketing – 2030 campaign.

Keywords: Cascade Investment, L.L.C.

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