Land Report Names Bill Gates the Largest Private Farmland Owner in the United States with Over 269,000 Acres Across 18 States
The Land Report's 2021 annual ranking of America's 100 largest private landowners placed Bill Gates first for farmland, with over 269,000 acres spread across at least 18 states. The holdings — operated through Cascade Investment and subsidiary LLCs — had not been publicly disclosed; the ranking was compiled from county property records. A Gates spokesperson confirmed the holdings and said the farmland investments were made by Cascade's full-time team of professional asset managers.
Source: https://landreport.com/americas-100-largest-landowners/
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January 2024
Gates Uses Shell Companies to Quietly Accumulate $113 Million Nebraska Farmland Portfolio
A January 2024 investigation by The Guardian and Floodlight News revealed that entities connected to Bill Gates's Cascade Investment had used a network of limited liability companies — including Cottonwood Ag Management — to quietly purchase approximately 20,588 acres of Nebraska farmland valued at roughly $113 million, without disclosing the beneficial owner to local sellers or county officials. The acquisitions were part of Gates's wider strategy to become the largest private farmland owner in the United States, with holdings exceeding 269,000 acres across 18 states, managed through Cottonwood Ag Management and its parent Leading Harvest, which develops regenerative agriculture certification standards.
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