Bill Gates' Cascade Investment, has reported in a newly amended filing that it has recently acquired 500,000 shares of Deere & Company (NYSE : DE ). Following the acquisition, Mr. Gates owns over 30 million shares of the company, which represent 8.1% of the outstanding common stock. The aggregate purchasing price amounts to around $44.3 million. The securities were purchased in two transactions a couple of days ago. In the first deal, Cascade bought a total of 368,713 shares, for a price of $88.37 apiece. The second transaction involved 131,287 shares, worth $88.91 each. Cascade Investments is a holding company controlled by Mr. Gates. Earlier, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where Mr. Gates is a Co-Chairman and Trustee sold some Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B) shares reducing the stake to 83.1 million shares of Class B ; Cascade Investments also owns 6.1 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Deere & Company (NYSE : DE) is involved in agricultural, construction and forestry machinery.