South Dakota Republican calls for Bill Gates to testify before agriculture committee amid farm buy

FIRST ON FOX: Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota called for Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates to testify before the House Agriculture Committee over his farmland buying spree.

Johnson sent the letter to House Agriculture Committee chairman David Scott, D-Ga., calling on him to bring Gates before the committee as he buys up copious amounts of farmland.

"Ownership of farmland matters, a lot. No one has been buying it up faster than Bill Gates," Johnson told Fox News Digital. "He now owns 270,000 acres, making him the largest owner of American farmland."

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"Mr. Gates has argued that developed countries like America ‘shouldn’t eat any red meat,’" the South Dakota Republican continued. "Given that, our country deserves to hear from him what he has planned for this incredibly productive agricultural land."

Johnson sent his letter to Scott on Wednesday, writing the chairman to bring Gates before the committee "to testify regarding his farming interests and practices."

The Republican pointed to recent reports illustrating that Gates "is the largest private farmland owner in America," noting that the Microsoft founder "now owns nearly 270,000 acres of farmland across 19 states."

"Comparatively, the average farm size in 2021 was 445 acres, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service," Johnson wrote. "I believe that Mr. Gates’ holdings across much of our nation is a significant portion that the Committee should not ignore."

"The Committee should be interested in Mr. Gates’ ownership and plans for his acreage, as he has been a leading voice in the push for "synthetic meat,’" the letter continued. "In 2021, Mr. Gates was quoted to say ‘all rich countries should move to 100 percent synthetic beef’ to combat climate change."

Johnson concluded the letter saying he is "especially interested in Mr. Gates’ agricultural aspirations" and pointed out his state’s interest in cattle farming — "where there are over four beef cattle for every resident."

Gates is considered to be the largest farmland-owning American, having bought up hundreds of thousands of acres across the country.

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The Microsoft founder’s buying spree also comes as Americans are facing rising food prices due to inflation from Biden administration policies.

Scott’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.