North Dakota attorney general probes $13.5 million farmland purchase by a trust linked to Bill Gates

A major farmland purchase reportedly made by a trust linked to Bill Gates is being investigated by the North Dakota attorney general’s office. The $13.5 million farmland purchase by the trust connected to the Microsoft billionaire potentially may have violated the state’s corporate farming laws.

Red River Trust purchased six parcels of land in Pembina County for $13.5 million last November. According to records, Red River Trust acquired the farmland from Campbell Farms – a potato farm founded in 1978 in Grafton, North Dakota.

“Public deeds show the transaction totals about $13.5 million, with a rough average price in two counties of $6,400 per acre,” AG Week reported. “Pembina County transfers break down to about $6,600 per acre. The Walsh County documents are complicated by river boundaries, but the sale price calculates to about $6,000.”

On Tuesday, the office of the attorney general of North Dakota sent a letter to Red River Trust to determine how the company plans to use the farmland and make sure that there are no violations of the state’s corporate farming laws.- READ MORE