Bill Gates made headlines for becoming the largest private farmland owner in the U.S. But he’s not the only one. Some of the wealthiest landowners including Jeff Bezos, John Malone and Thomas Peterffy are buying up forests, ranches and farmlands across the United States. Why? Watch the video to find out.

比尔·盖茨因成为美国最大的私人农田所有者而成为头条新闻,但他并不是唯一一个。包括杰夫·贝佐斯、约翰·马龙和托马斯·彼得菲在内的一些最富有的土地所有者正在购买美国各地的森林、牧场和农田。为什么呢?观看视频找出答案。

Investments in farmland are growing across the country as people, including the ultra-wealthy like Bill Gates, look for new ways to grow their money.
In 2020, Gates made headlines for becoming the largest private farmland owner in the U.S. He had accumulated more than 269,000 acres of farmland across 18 states in less than a decade. His farmland grows onions, carrots and even the potatoes that are used to make McDonald’s French fries.

随着包括比尔·盖茨这样的超级富豪在内的人们寻找新的赚钱方式,对农田的投资在全国范围内都在增长。
2020年,盖茨因成为美国最大的私人农田所有者而登上头条。在不到十年的时间里,他在18个州积累了超过26.9万英亩的农田。他的农田里种着洋葱、胡萝卜,甚至还有用来制作麦当劳薯条的土豆。

“It’s an asset with increasing value,” American Farmland Trust CEO John Piotti said. “It has great intrinsic value and beyond that, it is a limited resource.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 30% of all farmland is owned by landlords who don’t farm themselves. Buyers often purchase land from farmers who have owned it for decades; many of whom may be asset rich but maybe cash poor.

美国农田信托公司首席执行官约翰·皮奥蒂说:“这是一项价值不断增加的资产。”“它具有巨大的内在价值,除此之外,它是一种有限的资源。”
美国农业部估计,所有农田中有30%属于自己不耕种的地主。买家通常从拥有土地数十年的农民手中购买土地;他们中的许多人可能资产丰富,但是缺少现金。

“The economic realities for them are typical that they’ve spent their life farming,” said Holly Rippon-Butler, land campaign director at the National Young Farmers Coalition. “Their retirement, their equity is all in the land and tied up in selling land.”
Private landowners are also making a profit by utilizing the land in numerous ways. Approximately 39% of the 911 million acres of farmland across the U.S. is rented out to farmers, and 80% of that rented farmland is owned by landlords who don’t farm themselves data from the Agriculture Department shows.

“他们的经济形式是典型的,他们一生都在务农,”全国青年农民联盟土地运动主任霍莉·里彭-巴特勒说。“他们的退休金和股权都在土地上,与卖地捆绑在一起。”
私人土地所有者也通过多种方式利用土地获利。美国农业部的数据显示,在美国911万英亩的农田中,约有39%出租给了农民,而这些出租的农田中有80%属于自己不耕种的地主。

“The young farmers are just as happy to lease the land because whether you are young or old, it’s a business, right?” said Thomas Petterfy, chairman of Interactive Brokers and owner of 581,000 acres.
“You go buy a farm and you put that cash rental lease in place, you’re going to be looking at about 2.5% return on your capital,” Peoples Company President Steve Bruere said.

“年轻的农民都很乐意租赁土地,因为不管你是年轻人还是老年人,这都是一门生意,对吧?”盈透证券董事长、拥有581,000英亩土地的托马斯·佩特菲这样说。
人民公司的总裁史蒂夫·布鲁埃尔说:“你去买一个农场,然后用现金租赁,你的资本回报率约为2.5%。”