Hes the landlord, or rather, the companies owned by his investment firm are the landlords. Thats where the Gateses began buying land in 2013 through two limited liability corporations registered to an address in Kirkland by Derek Yurosek, then head of agriculture operations for Cascade. That means Gates, whose net worth is estimated at some $134 billion according to Forbes annual ranking of the richest people in the country, owns less than one percent of the nations total farmland. He owns 2m acres and has the worlds largest privately owned buffalo herd. In addition, the land is audited to meet sustainability standards including soil health and water management. As more and more land becomes developed, less and less raw land is available, which potentially increases the value as demand remains the same or even increases. Why should striking rail and postal workers get a big pay rise while our pay packets remain stagnant or worse? from February that showed there were more than 895 million total acres of farmland in the country last year. 23:06 GMT 15 Jan 2021 The 65-year-old's largest holdings include 69,071 acres in Louisiana, 47,927 acres in Arkansas,25,750 acres in Arizona, 20,588 acres in Nebraska and16,097 in Washington state. of the richest people in the country, owns less than one percent of the nations total farmland. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File ), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Farmland CNBC 2.94M subscribers Subscribe 47K 4.5M views 1 year ago #CNBC Bill Gates made. We loved familys outdoor adventures so much we started a land business just to help others buy their own land. Published: 18:36 ET, Dec 8 2022 Updated: 10:03 ET, Dec 9 2022 A MAP has revealed which billionaire owns the largest amount of land in the US - you'll be shocked to know that it isn't Bill Gates. Although the sale price has never been made public, the 492-acre home was listed for $8.9 millionand we cant imagine Bill and Melinda doing much haggling. Buffalo Bill Cody's Ranch in Cody, Wyoming: Undisclosed Sale Price (Listed for $8.9 Million). What Is The Banking Process To Buy Raw Land, Price Of Agricultural Land In The Philippines. I mean, it is unlikely that one of the richest people in the world would invest in something that wasnt a good investment, right? These land holdings are separate from their previous investments in companies that support large-scale farming like Monsanto and the tractor manufacturer John Deere. The acquisitions are held directly, as well as through Gates' personal investment entity, Cascade Investments. Bill Gates is now the largest private landowner in the country. Our inventory spans mostly in the western United States. America's leading landowners added hundreds of thousands of acres to their holdings last year. According to the Land Report 100 Research Team, that figure is currently more than twice that amount, which means Bill Gates, cofounder of Microsoft, has an alter ego: Farmer Bill, the guy who owns more farmland than anyone else in America. Here is an overview of all of the property the couple owned together at the time of their divorce: Bill and Melinda dont publicly discuss this topic often, but they are the top owners of farmland in the U.S. With some 242,000 acres, the estimated value of their farmland is in the billions. The agriculture sector is important, he wrote. Today, Bill Gates owns 242,000 acres of farmland in 19 states. Arable land is not just profitable. This number stems from last year's edition of . Gates' achievement, according to the report, is that he's largest private owner of farmland in the US. The 66,000-square-foot home overlooks Lake Washington and, although there is no exact estimate of the homes value currently, it had a total assessed value of $147.5 million on 2009 property tax documents. The 229-acre property was once home to Jenny Craig, founder of the Jenny Craig nutrition company, and was purchased by the Gates with hopes that it would one day be where their daughter Jennifer could train for her equestrian career. Cascade did not immediately respond to a phone message Friday, and the company declined to comment to The Land Report other than to say that Cascade is very supportive of sustainable farming, the outlet said. Public records suggest Cascade Investments has bought its farmland through a web of at least 22 limited liability shell companies across the country. This is part of APs effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. The firm is a shareholder in Dallas-based Invitation Homes, which owns nearly 80,000 single-family rentals nationwide. He backed Impossible Foods, which relies on genetically modified soybeans, and also held shares of Beyond Meat through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, though SEC filings show those shares were sold in 2019. The couple also snapped up an oceanfront home in San Diego County, California, last year, for a record making $43 million. This can be an affordable way to get started with your raw land investments. That could spell an opportunity for young farmers hoping to get their start, but for savvy investors scrambling for more places to put their money, it also represents an opportunity. Since then, it has been revealed that the two never signed a prenuptial agreement, instead opting for a separation agreement. The process of splitting the couples assets will be a mammoth task. Mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California: $18 Million. Bill Gates owns more private farmland in the US than anyone else, an analysis by The Land Report found.His 242,000 acres of farmland stretch across 18 states Bill Gates owns farmland in 18 states . As of 2020, industry reports show he owned about 0.027% of U.S. farmland. Now Bill Gates appears to have acquired a slice of their tiny city, and locals near. Bill Gates does not own the majority of U.S. farmland. You can read more about us, here. The 13,573-square-foot home has six bedrooms, 11 bedrooms and more luxury features than you can count. You may have heard that Bill Gates owns a lot of land, but you may not know how much. The biggest shift in recent years from small to big farms was in the US. TRENDING: OUCH! The private residential area is home to numerous A-list celebrity couples including Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel. But those working on projects with both investors and farmers to create ecologically sustainable farming methods and support diverse and disadvantaged farming communities say rethinking agriculture and working to avert a climate crisis go hand in hand. You can also look at local resources in your area to see where land is being bought or sold. They bought and later sold an additional 6,000 acres in Georgia, NBC News found. Leading Harvest requires farmland owners to work to continuously improve soil health, biodiversity, and water, air and crop quality on their farms as well as contribute positively to local communities, comply with regulations, and provide a safe and respectful working environment for employees, Zehren said. Malone also has 25% shares in Liberty Global, the largest international cable company with just under 30million subscribers, and owns 8% of the Atlanta Braves baseball team. Farmland can be an investment in several ways. That is a big chunk of land. It can be used for residential development, commercial projects, industrial zoning, public or semi-public use, agriculture, or right of way (a way for others to access a different piece of land or portion of the land). This is where a country sells land when the owner becomes delinquent on their property taxes. Many people wonder why Bill Gates would make these moves with his investment portfolio. It just seemed like a good thing to do., 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, A map has revealed which billionaire owns the most land in the US, and it's not Bill Gates, John Malone owns about 2.2million acres of land across the United States, In comparison, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates owns about 270,000 acres of farmland, Malone is worth an estimated $9.22billion, Meet the largest landowner in the US as map reveals stunning amount of land billionaire owns and its not Bill Gates. While Gates is Americas biggest farmland owner, hes far from being the nations largest landowner in general. Mason notes that trying to draw hard lines between ones philanthropic work and ones investments does not work. Brittany has been in the land business since 2020 when the world was starting to shut down. So why did the Land Report, Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance. His 242,000 acres of farmland stretch across 18 states from Washington to Florida,. Our exposure to Invitation Homes is owning its stock in mutual funds we manage, not buying houses w/ them, BlackRock tweeted. Last year, Cascade Investment made a second major investment in Arizona by acquiring more than 2,800 acres known as Spurlock Ranch in Buckeye for $25 million, that could be built out to include 8,500 homes. Now in its 15th edition, this landmark study tracks the diverse array of farmers, ranchers, forest owners, entrepreneurs, and investors who own at a minimum 243.75 square miles. The potential is endless. Gates shares ownership with Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talalthe two purchased the chain in 2007 for $3.8 billion. Lets take a look at some of the reasons that land, particularly raw land, can be a good investment for Bill Gates or anybody else, including you. Which is where the Bill Gates' Land Ownership interactive map comes in. The comments below have not been moderated, By Several Properties in Wellington, Florida: $27.2 Million (Total). BlackRock, meanwhile, is also not the owner of the majority of single family houses in the country. His land ownership spans across 19 states. In an interview with CNBC, Malone said that his biggest motivation for purchasing land was preservation and he said he hopes to buy more. by Harvard Universitys Joint Center for Housing Studies. He never did anything that different from before he got here and what other farmers were doing nearby.". He's one of the richest men in the world and the largest individual owner of farmland in the country. Farmer Bill. In 2018 Gates reportedly bought about 16,000 acres in his home state of Washington, including a 14,500-acre tract in the Horse Heaven Hills region that was purchased for nearly $171 million from an insurance company that had paid $75million for it in 2010. Adding to the confusion, Blackstone was once a major investor in BlackRock, but sold off its stake in the 1990s. Through his subsidiary Mt. Farmland can be an investment in several ways. buying an increasing share of the U.S. housing market. Learn more about fact-checking at AP. And while Bill Gates frets about eating cheeseburgers in his book for the amount of greenhouse gases the meat industry produces largely for the consumption of rich countries his massive carbon footprint has little to do with his personal diet and is not forgivable by simply buying more land to sequester more carbon. It may even be easier to sell smaller lots than it would be to market the entire portion of land that you invest in. 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. Back in January, US magazine The Land Report revealed that Bill and Melinda Gates have amassed the largest portfolio of private farmland in the US, comprising an estimated 242,000 acres. About 40 percent of farmland is owned by seniors 65 or older, according to 2014 estimates by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meaning more farmland is expected to come on the market soon. But some farmers whose land is adjacent to that of the Gateses have expressed disappointment that despite the couples wealth, they have not done more to preserve the environment. 2,167 acres. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. In fact, he reportedly owns more farmland than any other individual in America. Raw land is not developed. Investors bought a record 18.4% of the homes purchased in the fourth quarter of 2021 three-quarters of which were single-family homes. Gates and his wife own 269,000 acres of farmland. Our exposure to Invitation Homes is owning its stock in mutual funds we manage, not buying houses w/ them,. There . Except, it seems, when it comes to a private individual selling some land to iconic billionaire Bill Gates. He also reportedly owns about 16,000 acres in his home state of Washington, including a 14,500-acre tract in the Horse Heaven Hills region that was purchased for nearly $171 million. These purchases are also a direct result of their daughters equestrian career hopes because of Wellingtons close proximity to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. A 2018 purchase of 14,500 acres of prime eastern Washington farmland which is traditional Yakama territory for $171m helped him get that title. As more and more land gets developed, if you own land that is in the path of the plan, you could have buyers offering you big money to take hold of the property. It also offers proven return rates. retail, office buildings, hotels and apartment complexes, rather than single-family homes, but he declined to provide a breakdown. For Indigenous caretakers, land use isnt premised on a return of investments; its about maintaining the land for the next generation, meeting the needs of the present, and a respect for the diversity of life. With the Washington state acreage and other additions to his portfolio, The Land Report estimates that Gates now owns at least 242,000 acres of American farmland. Bill Gates has secured legal approval for his North Dakota farmland purchase But the deal drew scrutiny under a 1932 anti-corporate farm ownership law Now state AG says the deal is legal, because . Through our professional experience in land acquisition, we have found that people buy and sell land for many different reasons and have learned that it can be an investment for profit, vacation, or any opportunity that suits your needs and desires. With more productive seeds we can avoid deforestation and help Africa deal with the climate difficulty they already face. More surprising, however, was the fact that Bill and Melinda Gates own more private farmland . 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. Bill Gates uses farmland as investment vehicle, owning 269,000 acres of land. Listen to article. BlackRock also does not own the majority of the countrys 80 million single-family homes. There, on Gates parcels, an industrial farm grows potatoes for McDonalds french fries. The Microsoft co-founder acquired 14,500 acres of the fertile land in 2018, helping to make him the largest private farmland owner in the US, with total holdings of almost 250,000 acres,. The billionaire couple, in less than a. A 6,300-acre farm owned by Bill Gates in Madison County could become the site of one of the nation's largest solar farms. Bill and Melinda have diversified their portfolioworth more than $130 billionfor years, and one of their favorite investments is real estate. They add it will take those with large parcels of land, like the Gateses U.S. farmland holdings, to do it. Not only is it usable by you, but land can be used for so many different things. Malone continued, the forestry part of it in the Northeast is a pretty good business, with very low return on capital, but very stable and leverageable. The option expires Oct. 31, 2024. He is also the chairman and largest stakeholder of Liberty Media, possessing 28% of Discovery Communications, which was acquired by Scripps Network for $14.6billion. In May, Bill Gates also transferred about $850 million in shares of the agricultural machinery company John Deere to his wife after the two shared publicly their plans to divorce. Not only that, but it fits in with Gates values as a philanthropist because he can keep the farmland healthy for future generations. The billionaire knows best mentality detracts from the deep-seated realities of colonialism and white supremacy, and it ignores those who actually know best how to use and live with the land. This could allow you to sell or lease the individual lots of land on the property. Apple is ditching more fancy features that just annoyed ev REBNY's new return-to-office gauge paints bright view for 'trophy' towers, Food delivery maven unveils NYC shop after dumping Mercedes mobile kitchens, US home prices just did something they haven't done since 2012, JPMorgan Chase requires some workers give 6 months notice before quitting, This Girl Scout cookie flavor is reselling for $100 online -- here's why, Tom Sandoval breaks silence on Ariana Madix split amid cheating claims, Kelly Osbourne posts first photo of baby son as he hangs out with uncle Jack, Greys Anatomy alum Isaiah Washington retiring from acting: The haters have won, Max Scherzer's first look at the new pitch clock, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce, Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave. Agriculture is also a key focus area for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the massive charity run by Gates and his wife. Bill Gates may be trading his pocket protector for cowboy boots. Gates . The Gates family currently [] In 2014, he co-founded The Red Nation, an Indigenous resistance organization. While he owns nearly half of the Four Season Holding's hotel chain through Cascade, he also has partial ownership of Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since then, weve sold to dozens of people from ATV weekend warriors to camping enthusiasts to retired truck drivers. The billionaire couple, in less than a decade, have accumulated more than 269,000 acres of farmland across 18 states, more than the entire acreage of New York City. The average person has nothing in common with mega-landowners like Bill Gates or Ted Turner. You may also be interested in why a billionaire wants land.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'askbamland_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_2',102,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-askbamland_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Bill Gates is one of the largest farmland owners in the United States. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The Gates Foundation said in a statement that its agriculture efforts do not extend to farming in the U.S. He also purchased the 800-acre Bridlewood Farms in Florida. That doesnt mean that every piece of land is a good investment, but a significant amount of land will offer a high return on investment. So what is this guy planning? The relationship to land who owns it, who works it, and who cares for it reflects obscene levels of inequality and legacies of colonialism and white supremacy., ill Gates has never been a farmer. It will not tell you that Bill Gates is your neighbor. You may have heard that Bill Gates owns a lot of land, but you may not know how much. Malone made his fortune as a media tycoon, building the company Tele-Communications, Inc, or TCI, and acting as its CEO before selling it to AT&T for $50 billion in 1999.