Bill Gates Called Out By Farmer For Secretly Buying Up US Farmland: 'I Don't Want Him To Control A Single Acre'

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is well known for his philanthropy and his crusade against climate change. Although in 2022, the billionaire came under severe criticism from a fourth-generation farmer in South Georgia for his farmland ownership in the U.S.

Will Harris, who owns a 152-year-old family farm named White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, said he has concerns about Gates controlling farmland. His thoughts came in the form of an open letter to Gates posted on his Facebook page, as first reported by PJ Media.

“Just like I don’t want a child abuser controlling even one child, I don’t want him to control a single acre,” said.

Giving reasons for his stand, Harris said Gates lacks the understanding of stewarding the land properly.

“How well do you think that I would do running a tech company or financial institution?” the farmer asked.

Related Link: Bill Gates Asked Why He's Buying So Much US Farmland: Here's His Answer In Free-For-All AMA

The Georgia resident didn’t like the way Gates’ land acquisitions were kept secretive. He noted that an article from May 4, 2021, indicated that the billionaire has purchased 200,000 acres of land in 18 states, but Georgia wasn’t listed among the states.

Later, he learned that an acquaintance of his revealed that he had sold his farmland in Georgia to Gates prior to that report.

Thirdly, Harris said he doesn’t subscribe to Gates’ ideology of technology being a cure for all problems.

He also noted that Gates is heavily invested in plant-based protein. The tech entrepreneur doesn’t realize that "proper animal impact" isn’t responsible for climate change, the farmer added.

“This environmental mitigation cannot be replicated within a monocultural pea and soy farming operation,” Harris said.

Gates’ attempts at influencing the agricultural systems in India and Africa ended up as a fiasco, underlining the "repercussions of letting a businessman make farming decisions," he added.

Harris ended his post with an open invitation to Gates.

“If you are truly interested in the welfare of people, land, and climate, please come to my farm and let me share what I know, based on my 67 years of experience,” he said.

Now Read: Which Billionaire Owns The Most Land In The U.S.? Hint, It's Not Bill Gates

This article was originally published on Aug. 6, 2022.

Photo: Courtesy of Red Maxwell on flickr.