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A South Dakota congressman is demanding that Bill Gates appear before a committee to explain why he is buying vast amounts of farmland in the US while telling Americans to stop eating meat.
As we reported earlier this month, Gates, who already owns nearly 270,000 acres of land in the United States, has been granted legal authority to purchase another 2100 acres in North Dakota, despite local residents’ protests.
By promising to lease the land back to farmers after the purchase is completed, Gates is skirting a 1932 anti-corporate farm ownership law.
Dusty Johnson of South Dakota is now demanding answers.
“Recent reports show that Mr. Gates is the largest private farmland owner in America, with nearly 270,000 acres spread across 19 states.” According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, the average farm size in 2021 will be 445 acres. “I believe that Mr. Gates’ holdings across much of our country represent a significant portion that the Committee should not overlook,” Johnson wrote in a letter to committee chairman David Scott.
He also took to Twitter to question how Gates’ purchase of vast amounts of farmland could be reconciled with his advice to Americans not to eat meat.
“Bill Gates is the largest owner of farmland in the United States.” Given that he believes developed countries like America “shouldn’t eat any red meat,” I’m curious what plans he has for this incredibly productive ag land. “How do his land purchases relate to his goals?” Johnson inquired.
In his letter, the Congressman also addressed the meat issue.
“Because Mr. Gates has been a leading voice in the push for’synthetic meat,’ the Committee should be interested in his ownership and plans for his acreage.” To combat climate change, Mr. Gates was quoted as saying in 2021 that “all rich countries should move to 100 percent synthetic beef.”
Johnson also demanded to know what plans Gates had for the farmland in an interview with newsmen
Johnson asserted that “ownership of farmland matters a lot,” noting that “no one has been buying it up faster than Bill Gates.”
Gates now owns 268,984 acres of multi-use land across 19 states.