TIAA‐CREF is a name that is well‐known in the United States. As one of the most popular pension funds, many people associate the name TIAA‐CREF with a well‐meaning insurer of retirement funds for some of our most beloved professionals, such as teachers and doctors. Yet, TIAA‐CREF has a darker side. In its quest to meet financial obligations, TIAA‐CREF has gone after some of our other most important members of society: farmers. Using its weighty financial power, TIAA‐CREF has been rapidly swallowing up farmland, both in the U.S. and abroad, leading it to become one of the world’s most insatiable leaders of land grabs.
