Amid the ongoing divorce proceedings between billionaire couple Bill Gates and Melinda Gates, many are not aware that both Bill and Melinda and deeply invested in American agriculture. From McDonald's french fries to carrots, onions, the billionaire ex-couple owns 2,69,000 acres of farmland across 18 states of the US.
According to data accumulated by NBC News and The Land Report, the Microsoft founder's land-holdings include 70,000 acres in north Louisiana where soybeans, corn, cotton, and rice are grown to 20,000 acres in Nebraska, where farmers grow soybeans.
Not only this, Bill and Melinda also own more than 14,000 acres of farmland in Washington that includes potato fields so extensive that they are visible from space. Some of these are also processed into french fries that one eats at the fast-food joint McDonald's.
Speaking about his farmland purchases, Bill Gates had said on Reddit in March, "My investment group chose to do this. It is not connected to climate. The agriculture sector is important. With more productive seeds we can avoid deforestation and help Africa deal with the climate difficulty they already face. It is unclear how cheap biofuels can be but if they are cheap it can solve the aviation and truck emissions." At the time, Gates was promoting his latest book titled "How to Avoid A Climate Disaster".
The Gates couple is currently in the process of getting a divorce. In this, their property will also be divided. Critics of Bill Gates argue that he holds too much power over food and agriculture, and is interested in enriching himself rather than helping the planet.
On the personal front, Bill and Melinda Gates on May 4 announced their separation after being married for 27 years.
