How Much Land in Iowa Does Bill Gates Own Anyway?

As you probably already know, Bill Gates is one of the richest and most powerful individuals on the planet. According to Forbes, he's currently the 7th wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated $138.5 billion in his bank account.

The Microsoft founder has been in the public eye for a long time now, so when he started acquiring more and more land, people noticed. A good amount of it is rich, productive farmland, spread out over 17 states.

But why is Gates gobbling up so much farmland in the first place? And just how much does he hold the title for in the Hawkeye State?

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How Much Iowa Farmland Does Bill Gates Own And What's His Plan?

Bill Gates owns close to 600 acres of Iowa farmland, which is minuscule compared to some of the other states he owns land in. In neighboring Nebraska, Gates has amassed close to 21,000 acres. And down in the bayou of Louisiana, he owns a whopping 69,000.

Gates owns approximately 270,000 acres of land across the US. A large part of that land is owned by a front company known as Cascade Investments.

While the internet is running wild with all kinds of speculation and conspiracy theories as to why Gates has been accumulating so much land, he said himself, it's an investment opportunity in sustainable farming.

 I own less than 1/4000 of the farmland in the US. I have invested in these farms to make them more productive and create more jobs. There isn't some grand scheme involved - in fact, all these decisions are made by a professional investment team

-Bill Gates

While nearly 270,000 acres seems like a lot of land, in the grand scheme of things, it's still only a drop in the bucket. To put it in perspective, it's more than 1/10 the size of Yellowstone National Park.

Story Sources: Forbes, Land Report Website, Farmland Grab Website