Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Bill Gates has vowed to give away 99% of his wealth and eventually fall off the billionaire lists. Even so, his fortune keeps sprouting in unexpected places — namely, America's farmland. According to the 2025 Land Report, Gates ranks 43rd among America's largest private landowners with 275,000 acres. Roughly 248,000 of those acres are active farmland, while other holdings include projects like TerraPower's ...

Core Insights - Bill Gates has transitioned from Microsoft to focus on philanthropy through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, investing billions annually in significant projects [1] - Gates' net worth is estimated at $105.8 billion, with approximately $13 billion in Microsoft stock and the remainder diversified across various private investments, including U.S. farmland [2] - Gates reportedly owns around 270,000 acres of farmland in the U.S., equating to roughly 1/4000 of the total U.S. farmland, with significant investments in states like Nebraska [3] Investment in Farmland - Farmland is considered a broad asset class that can serve as a hedge against inflation, with U.S. farmland values rising by 10.2% in 2022, outpacing the average inflation rate of 8% [5] - The high costs associated with purchasing farmland make it a challenging investment for many, often requiring accredited investor status due to financing difficulties [6]

Company Overview - Gladstone Land owns 150 farms with approximately 103,000 acres in 15 states and over 55,000 acre-feet of water assets in California, with 95.9% occupancy[10] - The company focuses on farmland growing fresh produce and permanent crops[11, 16] - Gladstone Land is managed by an SEC-registered investment advisor with over $4 billion of assets under management[12] Market Opportunity and Investment Focus - The company primarily focuses on acquiring high-value farmland that generates above-average revenues and profits[35] - The company targets transaction sizes between $2 million to $50 million+[43] - From 1980 through 2024, the Fresh Fruits & Vegetables segment of the Food & Beverages category increased by 385%[45] - U.S farmland value is approximately $3.4 trillion, with approximately 63% of U.S farm operators are over 55 years of age[65] Financial Performance - Since its IPO in 2013, the company has made 147 consecutive monthly cash distributions to common shareholders, totaling $7.32 per share[76] - Over the past 41 quarters, the company has increased the common distribution rate 35 times for a total increase of 55.7%[76] - The company's weighted-average remaining lease term is 6.7 years[83] - The company's weighted-average debt maturity is 7.4 years with a weighted-average effective interest rate of 3.41%, fixed for 3.5 years[84]