Claims that Chinese entities were buying U.S. farmland at an alarming rate has led state and federal lawmakers from both ruling political parties to call for regulating and even stripping away foreign ownership of this land.
But a recent NBC News review of documents filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that in the past year and a half (since the start of 2022), Chinese entities had purchased only 1,400 acres — about 2.2 square miles — in 35 states in a country with 1.3 billion acres of agricultural land. (Also see states with the most diverse landscapes.)
There was similar fear-mongering last year surrounding multi-billionaire Bill Gates. A rumor spread quickly on social media that the Microsoft cofounder was buying up the majority of American farmland, a claim that was quickly debunked.
As the Associated Press and other news organizations pointed out: Gates is indeed a major investor in farmland, but in 2021 he owned 269,000 acres, or about 0.03% of the nation’s total. Today, Gates is estimated to own a little more of this land — 275,000 acres, according to The Land Report magazine’s 2022 Land Report 100 reviewed by 24/7 Wall St.
The estimates used to determine the 50 biggest landowners are based on information from published reports, online databases, tax records, and information provided by various landowners. They include only rural land holdings, and to make the list, ownership must be deeded, not leased. Some of these landowners also lease significant tracts of pastureland from the federal government. (This is how much land the government owns in every state and what it’s used for.)
While Gates is among the largest single private owners of U.S. land used for farming, grazing, timber harvesting, wildlife conservation, or other purposes, he is nowhere near the top of the list. He is far outside of the top 10 biggest private U.S. landowners, a list that includes billionaire telecom mogul John Malone, the family of late Subway sandwich chain co-founder Peter Buck, and CNN founder Ted Turner.
Here are America’s biggest landowners.
Correction: A previous version of this article said Chinese entities had purchased only 1,400 acres – a little larger than the size of a football field. It should have read that 1,400 acres is the size of about 1,059 football fields, or 2.2 square miles. This error has been corrected.
Source: Mario Tama / Getty Images News via Getty Images
50. D.K. Boyd
> U.S. land holdings: 261,937 acres
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Source: Courtesy of Montana State Legislature
49. Galt Family
> U.S. land holdings: 262,000 acres
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Source: David Becker / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
48. Taylor Sheridan
> U.S. land holdings: 266,255 acres
Source: Courtesy of Benjy Griffith via Facebook
47. Benjy Griffith III
> U.S. land holdings: 269,000 acres
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Source: WendellandCarolyn / iStock via Getty Images
46. True Family
> U.S. land holdings: 272,000 acres
Source: Courtesy of Oklahoma State University
45. Malone Mitchell 3rd
> U.S. land holdings: 273,000 acres
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44. Lee Family
> U.S. land holdings: 275,000 acres
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Source: Courtesy of Jones Alta Vista Ranch via Facebook
43. Jones Family
> U.S. land holdings: 275,000 acres
Source: Courtesy of Babbitt Ranches via Facebook
42. Babbitt Heirs
> U.S. land holdings: 275,000 acres
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Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
41. Bill Gates
> U.S. land holdings: 275,000 acres
Source: Courtesy of Kokernot o6 Ranch
40. Kokernot Heirs
> U.S. land holdings: 278,000 acres
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Source: KLBahr / iStock via Getty Images
39. Cogdell Family
> U.S. land holdings: 282,000 acres
Source: Courtesy of Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
38. Llano Partners
> U.S. land holdings: 284,000 acres
Source: mtcurado / iStock via Getty Images
37. Fasken Family
> U.S. land holdings: 284,493 acres
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
36. Bass Family
> U.S. land holdings: 265,000 acres
35. Killam Family
> U.S. land holdings: 312,000 acres
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
34. Barta Family
> U.S. land holdings: 315,000 acres
Source: Courtesy of Utah State Democratic Committee
33. Robinson & Freed
> U.S. land holdings: 350,000 acres
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
32. Mike Smith
> U.S. land holdings: 351,000 acres
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
31. Collins Family
> U.S. land holdings: 370,000 acres
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
30. Cullen Heirs
> U.S. land holdings: 388,000 acres
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Source: Courtesy of Texas A&M University
29. Hughes Family
> U.S. land holdings: 390,000 acres
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28. Holding Family
> U.S. land holdings: 395,000 acres
27. Shannon Kizer
> U.S. land holdings: 397,000 acres
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Source: Courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife
26. Stefan Soloviev
> U.S. land holdings: 408,000 acres
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
25. Zane & Tanya Kiehne
> U.S. land holdings: 414,000 acres
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Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images News via Getty Images
24. Jeff Bezos
> U.S. land holdings: 420,000 acres
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
23. Fisher Family
> U.S. land holdings: 440,000 acres
Source: Courtesy of University of Idaho
22. Simplot Family
> U.S. land holdings: 443,000 acres
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
21. Don Horton
> U.S. land holdings: 508,410 acres
Source: Courtesy of Martin Sustainable Resources
20. Martin Family
> U.S. land holdings: 950,000 acres
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Source: Stimson Lumber Company via Facebook
19. Stimson Family
> U.S. land holdings: 552,000 acres
Source: The Westervelt Company via Facebook
18. Westervelt Heirs
> U.S. land holdings: 556,000 acres
Source: Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images
17. Thomas Peterffy
> U.S. land holdings: 581,000 acres
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16. O’Connor Heirs
> U.S. land holdings: 587,800 acres
Source: Courtesy of Roseburg Forest Products via Facebook
15. Ford Family
> U.S. land holdings: 600,000 acres
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Source: tfoxfoto / Getty Images
14. Lykes Heirs
> U.S. land holdings: 615,000 acres
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Source: Courtesy of FTS International
13. Wilks Brothers
> U.S. land holdings: 675,000 acres
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
12. Briscoe Family
> U.S. land holdings: 738,000 acres
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Source: mountinez / Getty Images
11. Pingree Heirs
> U.S. land holdings: 830,000 acres
Source: Courtesy of King Ranch via Facebook
10. King Ranch Heirs
> U.S. land holdings: 911,215 acres
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9. Brad Kelley
> U.S. land holdings: 1,000,000 acres
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Source: stevecoleimages / Getty Images
8. Singleton Family
> U.S. land holdings: 1,100,000 acres
Source: Joe Raedle / Getty Images News via Getty Images
7. Buck Family
> U.S. land holdings: 1,236,000 acres
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Source: Courtesy of Irving Oil
6. Irving Family
> U.S. land holdings: 1,267,792 acres
Source: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
5. Stan Kroenke
> U.S. land holdings: 1,627,500 acres
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
4. Reed Family
> U.S. land holdings: 1,661,000 acres
Source: Ben Rose / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
3. Ted Turner
> U.S. land holdings: 2,000,000 acres
Source: Photo by Drew Angerer / Getty Images
2. John Malone
> U.S. land holdings: 2,200,000 acres
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Source: Sierra Pacific Industries via Facebook
1. Emmerson Family
> U.S. land holdings: 2,411,000 acres
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