Farmer Gates

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, has amassed quite a fortune. Here is what it looks like if you write it out: $108,000,000,000 (approximately, according to Forbes). When he started buying farmland, he also started amassing conspiracy theories and outlandish allegations against him. One claim that made the rounds online was that he owned the majority of farmland in the United States and that his goal was to control the food system.

But the claims don’t check out. The numbers show that Gates is the largest private landowner in the country. He owns nearly 270,000 acres of farmland. It is a substantial sum, no doubt, in the minds of other landowners and investors. But that number represents 1/4000th of the total farmland in the country. So, no, Gates does not own a majority.

Various reports show that his farmland produces corn, soybeans, carrots, potatoes and onions. They are part of his overall investment and expenditure efforts that also include priorities to better produce food so that it fulfills his commitment to combat climate change.

Gates also invests in carbon sequestration, another part of environmental priorities. For a deeper look at where he spends his money, read this.