Rich people owning the land is one of the oldest tropes in the book—just ask any king or queen.Even though we'd like to imagine we've moved on from feudalism, ownership of land by the wealthy is common as ever.The number one private owners of farmland in America are none other than Bill and Melinda Gates.The Gates reportedly own 242,000 acres (about a third of the size of Rhode Island) of farmland across as many as 18 states.As of 2019, about 40% of American farmland is rented, not owned, and this can divert subsidies to the landowners.And it also means these large owners are reaping the benefits of their land investment instead of local farmers.But a sensible takeaway would be to not focus on Bill Gates. Sure, he's at the top of the list, but it's a list.Private ownership of farmland is common, and it's not just well-known billionaires that have been buying
