Pretty pricey dirt, right? With more productive seeds we can avoid deforestation and help Africa deal with the climate difficulty they already face. Gates' achievement, according to the report, is that he's largest private owner of farmland in the US. Climate change, inefficient farming practices, inclement weather, and plant disease are just a few of the reasons why farms sometimes fail to maximize their true seed yield potential. And it did this so quietly one might even say it was done in secret. , an annual survey of the nations largest landowners. 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 the Land Report 100, an annual survey of the nations largest landowners. from February that showed there were more than 895 million total acres of farmland in the country last year. The cofounder of Microsoft and his wife make an auspicious debut on the 2020 LAND REPORT 100, as Americas largest private farmland owners. By the time it was sold to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in 2013, AgCoA ranked as one of the leading institutional owners of row-crop farmland in the United States. Today, the Belmont tract remains mostly empty desert. It is unclear how cheap biofuels can be but if they are cheap it can solve the aviation and truck emissions.. Bill Gates $13.5 million investment in 2,100 sprawling acres of North Dakota land has raised questions as the purchase coincided with a controversial Chinese company buying 370 acres of farmland just 40 miles away. While private companies and corporations are increasing. This high-tech metropolis could be both a breeding and testing ground for futuristic technologies.. But some of the software pioneers investments do reveal his grander goals. That was the missing piece of the puzzle I had been searching for as I read the Tri-City Herald story. For more information read our Risk Statement click here. James B. Meigs is the co-host of the How Do We Fix It? podcast and the former editor-in-chief of Popular Mechanics. Farms also have a role in fighting climate change. This is part of a broader 269,000-acre land portfolio belonging to the couple and associated entities across 19 US states, with the largest holdings in Louisiana (69,071 acres), Arkansas (47,927 acres), and Arizona (25,750 acres). Many stories focused on Gates longstanding interest in climate change and sustainability and suggested those concerns might be driving the land purchases. Best Farmland Investing Platforms Non-Accredited, Best Canadian Farmland Investing Platforms. Investors bought a record 18.4% of the homes purchased in the fourth quarter of 2021 three-quarters of which were single-family homes, according to real estate firm RedFin. The Gates Foundation has focused their efforts on alleviating the aftermaths of climate change since its founding. Cascade Investment began purchasing farmland in significant strides in 2013. The old saying about land is they aren't making any more of it. Supply and demand? New technologies must be developed to give more sustenance to land that we farm to keep it sustainable. US generated 91m tons of surplus food in 2021, representing 6% of all GHG emissions. mesurer votre utilisation de nos sites et applications. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. The world is running out of oil. Farmland investments overseen by Cascade are completely unrelated to the Foundations programs or efforts to advance agricultural development in Africa or anyplace else in the world.. More often than not, farmland sales involve hundreds of acres. It has also funded myriad research facilities and humanitarian operations, focusing on overcoming diseases, climate change, agricultural research, and health and nutrition in underdeveloped areas. We invest in the farms to raise productivity. Is this simply a diversification of Gates' massive tech investment portfolio? Malone is #1 when it comes to owning the most corporate farmland in the United States. As we learned above, in most farmland investment situations, the farmland owner leases their land to tenant farmers, who usually live on and work the land. His idea, like many others, was to diversify his investments across different asset classes. Thousand-acre transactions such as the sale of 6,000- acre Weidert Farm to Farmland L.P. two years ago and the 6,175-acre Broetje Orchards acquisition by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan last year are blue-moon events. Inside Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge's $26.9M newlywed mansion, Inside NYC's charming Villa Charlotte Bront, where units rarely list, Secluded North Carolina home with its own private beach that went viral lists for sale, The best-dressed celebs at the 2023 Met Gala: Rihanna, Gisele Bndchen, more, Kim Kardashians Met Gala 2023 look sparks comparisons to Playboy cover, Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson reunite at Met Gala 9 months after breakup, Khristina Williams previews the New York Liberty's 2023 WNBA season, Katy Perry will be temporarily replaced on 'American Idol' amid drama, Woman has 'loud, full body orgasm' in the middle of LA concert. Gates, currently the sixth-richest person in the world, has a net worth of $111 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The magazine editor, Eric O'Keefe, was researching a purchase of 14,500 acres of prime Washington State farmland and found that the buyer was a small company in . As Slate financial writer Henry Grabar concluded, the proposed town of Belmont is not a city, nor is it smart, nor does the Microsoft founder appear to be involved in any meaningful way.. the Gates Foundation answers the top ten questions they received, and they admitted that they didnt think it was fair that their family had so much global influence. For now, though, all that smart city talk is more than a little premature. So, if farmers do not improve farming methods, local communities suffer. You either had to directly buy the land, pony up millions to participate in a fund or purchase farmland via a REIT. The tech mogul, who is. Most notably, in 2017, the Gates-affiliated Mt. THE FACTS: As Elon Musks bid to purchase Twitter 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. According to the St. Louis Business Journal, Gates Ag One will focus on research that helps small-holder farmers adapt to climate change and make food production in low- and middle-income countries more productive, resilient, and sustainable.. It's probably starting to make sense why Bill Gates purchased farmland in North Dakota and holds the largest private portfolio of farmland assets in America. OKeefe knew Gates had been acquiring farmland for years, mostly through various Cascade subsidiaries. The group is called Leading Harvest, and the Gates-linked Cottonwood Ag is one of its founding members. Bill is now the biggest owner of farmland in 2022 a great hedge asset against rising inflation. Pour en savoir plus sur la faon dont nous utilisons vos donnes personnelles, veuillez consulter notre politique relative la vie prive et notre politique en matire de cookies. There were 895.3 million acres of farmland in America in 2021, according to a 2022 reportfrom the Department of Agriculture. When Ted Turner bought his Flying D Ranch in Montana in 1989, that was his personal passion, OKeefe says. An aerial image of the Highway 565 address revealed a small metal-sided building off by itself in the woods. The soil profile and underlying silty loess are in a league of their own. It isless than .1% of all US farmland because the ownership is so diverse. Ebbers was many things a dreamer, a liar, a swindler and he loved land. Its single largest acquisition of farmland came in 2017, when it paid $520 millionto purchase 61 properties from theCanada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB). Rating: False About this rating Context In April 2022, conspiracy theorists insinuated that billionaire Bill Gates. Any why now after years of massive success? Either that or I had a screw loose. BlackRock is sometimes confused w/ Blackstone, which owned Invitation Homes. The Gates Foundation isnt the entity utilizing the land, but rather just Bills family office. Newsweek called him a sustainable agriculture champion., Those stories dovetailed with earlier reports about Gates large land acquisitions in Arizona. "In terms of the very rich I think they should pay a lot more in taxes and they should give away their wealth over time. Read more here. Contact Land Income today! According to some scientific estimates, there may be only 1.7 trillion barrels of oil in the world today. Investing in farmland is not as volatile as investing in traditional stocks. Along with his wife Melinda Gates, Bill owns over 268,000 acres of farmland diversified in over 19 states. 2023 Meredith Corporation. In 2005, the former WorldCom CEO was convicted of securities fraud, conspiracy, and filing false reports that were instrumental in WorldComs $11 billion dollar accounting fraud. Are you interested in investing in farmland? The plant-based protein craze will be worth $23.4 billion by 2027. By divesting his personal wealth from his own thriving tech company, and diversifying into myriads of other non-tech based businesses, he was not only exceptionally protected against the tech crash of 2000, but made out like a bandit. About 97% of American farms are small and medium-sized family-owned operations. There is absolutely no connection between the Gate[s] North Dakota farmland investments and the Fufeng Group, a spokesperson for Cascade Investment, which oversees the investments of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust and Bill Gates, told The Post. By divesting his personal wealth from his own thriving tech company, and diversifying into myriads of other non-tech based businesses, Merged from the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation quickly became. All https://www.barchart.com/solutions/ is provided by Barchart Solutions. Leading Harvest envisions a kind of sustainability seal of approval certifying that a given farm meets environmental standards. It will help farmers in developing countries access Agri-Tech, improve farming tools, learn how to maximize yield better and better adapt to climate change. Any historical returns, expected returns, or probability projections are forward looking statements and may not reflect actual future performance. The Gates Foundation has seen steady success and growth since their launch, funding science, research, agriculture and education. The world is moving forward with renewable energy sources like solar and biofuels. Late last year, Eric OKeefe was researching a mysterious recent purchase of 14,500 acres of prime Washington state farmland. In its review, the Midwest Center found that Baloo Enterprises LLC purchased: 1,926.3 acres of farmland in Douglas County for at least $19,694,096 between 2016 and 2019. Here are a few likely reasons why Bill Gates is scooping up farmland: Whatever you may think about the man himself, he has consistently made investing choices that brought him unusual and incredible returns, and this has brought him great wealth when others made the wrong fiscal moves, and lost much. In 2017, Angelina Plantation changed hands one more time and became one of the principal farmland assets in the Gateses Cascade Investments portfolio. The firm is a shareholder in Dallas-based Invitation Homes, which owns nearly 80,000 single-family rentals nationwide. More farmland investments may help struggling farms survive. That is the equivalent of almost 900 million acres of arable land used for industry in the country. By Eric O'Keefe 1/15/2021 Listen to article Photo credit: Chesnot, Getty Images Call it a hunch, but the story did not jibe. That makes him the largest landowner in the U.S. Stats show agriculture is a pretty good investment for. the latest American Housing Survey by the Census Bureau. Bill and Melinda Gates, who recently announced they're getting divorced and are dividing their assets, are deeply invested in American agriculture. But many farmers lease at least some of the land they cultivate. According to public records, the billionaires portfolio includes shares in Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, a Coca-Cola bottling company, and the tractor manufacturer Deere & Co., among other non-flashy investments. Investors generally are nevertheless buying an increasing share of the U.S. housing market. According to a press release by the Grand Forks council, Fufeng Group has chosen the town as its first US-based manufacturing facility after a 16-month comprehensive evaluation process, where they are expected to produce 25 million bushels of corn annually. That proposed superhighway would run across a 5-mile stretch of the Belmont property. Though the Gates Foundation has spent so much time and resources on helping humanity more than any other private entity in history the sheer power their enterprise wields has drawn the attention and fear of many. BlackRock, meanwhile, is also not the owner of the majority of single family houses in the country. New seeds can reduce water use but some areas wont be able to farm as much.. None of the information contained on this website is a recommendation to invest in any securities. In 1994, Bill Gates opened up his family office, Cascade Investment LLC, with trusted wealth manager Michael Larson. At its listed headquarters 8318 Highway 565 Angelina Agriculture boasted two employees and reported annual revenues just north of $300,000. However, when you read between the lines with an objective and open mind, one can infer much. His portfolio is diversified, in other words. Farmland Riches, LLC and the owners may have investments in companies represented on the AcreTrader platform. Should we be worried about a tech giant like Bill Gates amassing this wild amount of land? Futures: at least 10 minute delayed. Gates is in 49th spot but rising. Bill Gates is the largest private owner of American farmland, which is why so many people are wondering what he will use it for. afficher des publicits et des contenus personnaliss en fonction de vos profils de centres dintrt; mesurer lefficacit des publicits et contenus personnaliss; et. The project isnt yet funded. It wasnt long before subreddit chains and conservative voices began inquiring whether Gates, 66, had any ties to the Chinese investment near Grand Forks. Lemmon Holdings invested in some 40 square miles of transitional land on the western fringe of the Phoenix sprawl. Bill Gates has bought enormous tracts of farmland. Based on Bill Gates budding friendship with Warren Buffett, Cascade adopted much of Buffets approach to investing: invest in good companies, and hold long term to see healthy returns. Nebraska has the third-most Gates-owned farmland in the nation. I scanned the headline for the umpteenth time and then read and reread the pertinent details. Lets call that strike one. He created the pledge in 2010 with his then-wife, Melinda French Gates, and his close friend and Berkshire Hathaway CEO, Warren Buffett. Jun 24, 2022, 8:13 AM PDT. Valuations of equities (stocks) are at all time highs, similar to the dot-com bubble. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The farm was subsequently sold to AgCoA, which was acquired by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. And already in 2022, the forecast averages about $100 billion in profits. Gates co-founded Microsoft. Well, as with everything in life, there is always a trade-off especially in finance. We wont even come close.. That makes Invitation Homes the, largest operator of single-family rental homes in the country, but still represents, BlackRock also suggested it was being confused for the similarly-named i. nvestment management firm Blackstone, which until recently owned Invitation Homes. So, what's the interest in farmland? Leon Neal/Getty Images. Prior to this in 1999, Bill sold off tons of Microsoft stock to diversify. Why doesnt everyone just invest in farmland then? This story has been shared 240,292 times. The landowners can include investors like Gates. Lorsque vous utilisez nos sites et applications, nous utilisons des, authentifier les utilisateurs, appliquer des mesures de scurit, empcher les spams et les abus; et. The billionaire is one of the founders of the Giving Pledge, which asks the world's wealthiest people to give away most of their fortunes to charitable causes. He assigned his research team to dig a little deeper. He's the new MacDonald: Bill Gates owns hundreds of thousands of acres across the United States including 242,000 acres of farmland making him the country's top agricultural landholder,. At least thats what the developers partnered with Gates investment group have promised. What Returns Should You Expect From Farmland Investing? BlackRock is sometimes confused w/ Blackstone, which owned Invitation Homes. Given the size and cost of 100 Circles, both of those figures made no sense at all. All Rights Reserved. But if it ever gets built, it would boost the value of Gates land dramatically. In January 2021, Bill Gates became the largest owner of farmland in the United States. Soon they came back with the answer: The Louisiana company was acting on behalf of Cascade Investment LLC, the secretive investment firm that manages most of the huge fortune belonging to Bill Gates. Gates also owned up to the various failures in their initiatives, and admitted that they try their best to leverage the expertise and wisdom from the community leaders present in the areas they aid. Theres also a proposal to build a new interstate linking Phoenix to Las Vegas. There are over two million individual farms in the United States. But in total the Microsoft co-founder owns less than 1% of the nations total farmland. Gates who stepped down from day-to-day involvement with Microsoft in 2008 has long been looking for ways to help the worlds poorest and to address the planets environmental challenges. Gates owns 17,940 acres in Illinois, the report also states. Get the latest news and research from AFN & AgFunder in your inbox. 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. Is this just a regular investment move, made on a large scale? NOW WATCH: Bill Gates has a net worth of over $96 billion here's how he makes and spends his money, his close friend and Berkshire Hathaway CEO, Warren Buffett, he'll sell what he owns as money goes towards the foundation. The nearby community of Buckeye has grown more than tenfold in the last 20 years.