Posted on 06/25/2022 9:59:40 AM PDT by blam
North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley wants to know what Bill Gates' intentions are after the tech billionaire purchased six parcels of land in the state's Pembina County.
Public records cited by AgWeek show that 2,100 acres of potato farmland were purchased from the owners of Campbell Farms, a potato farming group that is headquartered in Grafton, North Dakota, about 50 miles from the Canadian border.
According to The Daily Caller, Wrigley sent a letter to Red River Trust — a group with ties to Gates — on Tuesday, demanding to know how it intends to use the land.
North Dakota law prohibits corporations or limited liability companies from owning or leasing farmland or ranchland and there are certain limitations with regard to trusts.
"I've gotten a big earful on this from clear across the state, it's not even from that neighborhood," Agricultural Commissioner Doug Goehring said, according to Valley News Live. "Those people are upset, but there are others that are just livid about this."
Gates' trust has 30 days from the receipt of the letter to respond and detail how it's using the land.
If Red River Trust is unable to show that it's using the land in accordance with state law, it will have one year to divest itself of the land and could face a fine of up to $100,000.
Gates has quietly positioned himself as the single largest private owner of farmland in the United States, having amassed almost 270,000 acres across the country, according to the The Associated Press.
According to The Western Journal, some of Gates' public remarks have raised questions about his motives for snapping up American farmland.
A proponent of plant-based meat substitutes, Gates has encouraged developed countries to give up meat in favor of synthetic, lab-made replacements.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
Ted Turner was once the largest land owner in the USA.
Top 10 Largest Private Land Owners In The US In 2022
Turner is #3, Gates does not even make the top 10.
“A proponent of plant-based meat substitutes, Gates has encouraged developed countries to give up meat in favor of synthetic, lab-made replacements.”
Soylent Gates.
BlackRock
https://newtube.app/user/Hostage/aZXdOqd
I was watching a program about Gates last night and when asked what is his favorite meal, he promptly said, hamburger. He was sitting with Warren Buffett when he said it.
Not only farmland, but forest lands.
Many watched as a investment groups bought the former Kimberly Clark lands in the UP of MI which were managed long term for high grade hardwood saw timber.
They promptly clear cut class “A” hardwood timber. The excuse is regeneration problems. The real reason is MONEY.
That land will never see that grade of hardwood again. EVER.
I’ve heard he owns a big chunk in Higland County Ohio.
217,000 acres is a drop in the bucket compared to just farmland which is 915,000,000+ acres that’s doesn’t include range nor all arable land it only includes tier one farmlands. Yawn it a huge nothingburger 200000 acres is a hobby farm in the Outback or Brazil or the Pampas of Argentina.
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Highlights/2014/Highlights_Farms_and_Farmland.pdf
John Malone - 2.2 million acres
Gates - 270,000 acres
Then evil Bill wont mind telling the ND AG
his plans .
Biolabs 🤪
Not sure a land owner needs to declare what he’s going to do with his land, until he plans to build on it or drill or dig.
Gates could just let it go wild, if he wants.
The problem is when large land owners begin to impact the ability of people to hunt, farm, develop or do recreation.
He’s probably buying tons of salt to plow under
Not a fan of Gates but “None of your effin’ business” is the reply that comes to mind.
These questions should have been asked and answered before the purchases were completed. Gates will take his own sweet time responding. Maybe he won’t even bother responding at all until he has something to lose by not cooperating.
You posted a link that doesn’t support your claim. No he doesn’t make the top 10 of TOTAL land owners, but he is #1 on the list of private FARM land owners.
Someone like Gates should not be allowed to buy farmland without locking himself into an acceptable plan on how he plans to use it. Selling to Gates is akin to selling to George Soros. Let’s not cut our own throats.
That’s what I was thinking. He’s going to salt the farmlands.
Food (both agriculture and livestock), and railroads are very stable investments.
Gates and Buffet own both in US, Canada, and Mexico.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.