Bill Gates owns 1 of every 4000 acres of US farmland. Why the tech billionaire loves traditional agriculture investing
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Seventeen years ago, Bill Gates left his role at Microsoft, the company he founded, to focus on philanthropic efforts through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, providing billions of dollars in capital to noteworthy projects each year.
With a net worth of $117 billion, according to Bloomberg (1), Gates’ portfolio is widely diversified. There’s his Microsoft stock, of course, but the rest of his fortune is spread out among a number of private interests, including a unique one — U.S. farmland.
Recent estimates indicate that Bill Gates owns over 250,000 acres of farmland across the United States and is the nation’s largest private farmland owner (2). Gates himself said in a 2021 Reddit AMA that he owns roughly 1/4000 of all U.S. farmland (3).
Tariff restrictions and Trump’s trade war with China might have affected Gates’ farmland fortune, as farmers across the country lost access to this valuable market. China stopped buying American crops in the spring of 2025 after Trump announced tariff actions (4), and in response, the administration has announced a $12 billion federal aid package to help farmers who have been impacted by the trade war (5).
So the question is: Why is Bill Gates investing so heavily in this asset class? Here’s what to consider when it comes to investing in farmland.
Farmland is a broad asset class encompassing land that can be farmed. It’s an attractive investment for those looking to hedge against inflationary periods.
According to an August 2025 report from Farm Bureau, the value of U.S. farmland has reached a record $4,350 per acre, a 4.3% year-over-year increase (6). The value of farmland also typically rises with inflation, so despite market uncertainty due to tariffs, land values have continued to grow.
The important thing about investing in physical farmland is that the price tags associated with large farms (or even small to medium-sized farms) can be massive. These are also assets that aren’t as easy to get financing for, particularly for investors and those without direct farming expertise.
The USDA and other organizations do offer programs that help individuals purchase farmland, but, for all intents and purposes, this asset class is reserved for accredited investors.
Enter FarmTogether, a company offering a range of funds and bespoke investment opportunities for investors looking to put some capital to work in physical farmland. This company’s product offerings are tailored to investor needs.
With more than $2.1 billion in capital deployed and a conservative, disciplined investment philosophy, the company addresses many of the key needs of investors seeking exposure to this asset class.
Their proprietary sourcing technology, experienced team and best-in-class partnerships mean that less than 1% of the deals that enter the company’s pipeline are passed onto investors.
For retail investors who aren’t accredited, there are plenty of other investing options worth considering that provide exposure to this asset class.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and agricultural stocks (whether individual farming firms, suppliers to the sector, or companies involved in agricultural development) are plentiful. But choosing the right ETF with the best exposure to the most promising prospects is difficult.
One platform that helps investors pick top-value agricultural stocks and ETFs with strong long-term growth potential is Moby. Their team of analysts spend hundreds of hours each week sifting through financial news, consolidating their findings to keep you up-to-date on what’s moving the markets.
Over four years, across almost 400 stock picks, Moby’s recommendations have beaten the S&P 500 by an average of almost 12%.
Moby’s superior research can help you reduce the guesswork when selecting agricultural stocks and ETFs.
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