As if being the third richest person in the world is not enough, Bill Gates has now found himself in a new title as the biggest farmland owner in the United States.
According to Forbes, the co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft built a massive farmland portfolio throughout the years. He now owns a total of 242,000-acre of farmland, 25,750-acres of transitional land, and 1,234-acres of recreational land, making him the top farmland owner in America.
Gates' transitional land could be found on the west side of Phoenix, Arizona, which will soon rise as a new suburb.
Bill Gates' Farmlands
As per the Land Report, Bill Gates and his wife Melinda's farm properties are scattered within 18 states, with the largest holdings located in Louisiana (69,071 acres), Arkansas (47,927 acres), and Nebraska (20,588 acres).
All of Bill Gates' land acquisition is being held directly through third-party entities by Cascade Investments - the billionaire's personal investment vehicle.
While it is not clear whether Gates will use his properties in future conservation, it's possible that he will use them in a way that will align with his foundation's values. One of which is Cottonwood Ag Management, which promotes sustainable agriculture standards protecting crops, soil, and water resources.
It is not the first time that the 65-year-old tech genius gets his hands-on agriculture. In 2008, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation allotted a $306 million grant to promote high-yield and sustainable agriculture for farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Largest Farmland Owner Contenders
The Offutt family comes in the second spot as the largest farmland owner with a total of 190,000-acres. According to agriculture.com, most of the Offutt family's farmland operates as a potato farm in Fargo, North Dakota.
Meanwhile, Steward and Lynda Resnick also owned the same size of farmland as the Offuts'. The Wonderful Company founders acquired owns massive farmland in California and Texas.
Bill Gates Net Worth 2021
Recently, tech billionaire Elon Musk dethroned Bill Gates as the world's second-richest person (Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos being on the top spot). But this doesn't hide the fact that Gates has the most richness in the world, with an estimated net worth of $129 billion.
Aside from purchasing farmlands, Bill Gates also knows how to reward himself using his hard-earned money. Over the years, Gates has splurged into lavish purchases, including a $125 million worth of Washington estate, a private plane, and a luxury-car collection.
Most of his seemingly unlimited richness is often used for philanthropic projects through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The couple also pledged to donate most of their fortune to the Giving Pledge foundation, which they launched in 2010.
The so-called "Father of Microsoft" also invested his billions in a variety of stocks and assets. Just recently, $43 million of Bill Gates' net worth went to a 5,800-square-foot home in Del Mar, California.
