I hear Bill Gates and his wife Melinda are reported to be the largest private farmland owners in the US, with 242,000ac. In total the couple have an estimated 269,000ac of land.

The couples’ farmland portfolio is just under 38,000ac larger than Ireland’s smallest county – Co Louth (with an estimated area of 204,100ac). The total area of land owned by the couple equates to an area just shy of the size of Ireland’s fourth smallest county – Co Longford (estimated at 269,600ac).

The co-founder of Microsoft is said to have a big interest in sustainable farming and biofuels, while his investment firm is reported to have interests in Beyond Meat and John Deere. I hope he doesn’t start buying land over here!