The family owns numerous properties throughout the northern and eastern part of the state. At their production sale, the Powell Family promises cows with, a heavily muscled quarter with a thick loin designed for maximum performance. 290,000 acres Ted Turner: 2 million acres in New Mexico, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Georgia. 47. 560,000 acres Both the Family's 06 Ranch and Leoncita Cattle Company Ranch are in West Texas. 110,000 acres The list comes with a thank you from sponsor Gregory W. Fay, owner of real estate brokerage Fay Ranches, to the top 100 for helping to produce the food we eat, and providing so much of the habitat for our fish and wildlife. Its a nice pat on the back if your portfolio just crossed the 100,000 acre mark. Richard Bransons spaceport is just a quick drive away. 100,000 acres Maybe deer and the antelope can play with Angus steers. Their historic 55,709-acre Rockpile Ranch in Far West Texas is listed for $54.8 million. Land: Kelleys properties span Texas, New Mexico, and Florida and are used to breed rare species of animals. CNN founder Ted Turner, 4. logging industry Reed. His Crossroads Ag grows corn, canola, sunflowers, sorghum, wheat and cotton, but he recently expanded into New Mexican grasslands for large-scale cow-calf operations. 165,000 acres He became one of the largest landowners in the United States when he purchased 561,000 acres of land in northern Florida for $700 million in 2015. The cable billionaire from Denver added two properties in Wellington, the epicenter of South Floridas equestrian community, and an Irish castle with a solid set of stables. Their investments demonstrate the potential of private land ownership in New Mexico and its value to people and nature. And the land, while private, is still use for commercial purposes, the 24/7 Wall Street investigation found. 16. The real estate mogul is also owner of the Los Angeles Rams and married toAnn Walkton Kroenke, an heiress to the Wal-Mart fortune. Ted Turner owns one million acres in New Mexico. The largest landowner in America owns 2,200,000 acres, located largely in Maine, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming. In 1870, Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes gave up the practice of medicine to take over his familys 500 acres in Florida. However, a media tycoon is America's largest landowner. Nuf said. 103,000 acres The owners of the land are heirs to the late Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes, who left a career in medicine to raise cattle and crow citrus. Shannon's farming and ranching operations produce peanuts, corn, wheat, dairy, and cattle. Read on to find out about the top landowners in New Mexico. 34. 215,990 acres The Austin-based family partnership climbed the rankings with a couple of add-ons to their New Mexico and Texas ranches. Plans for his land in Wyoming include a massive wind farm that will rank among the largest in the world. 140,000 acres The Scharbauer family has focused on breeding Thoroughbreds while others pay to explore their land for oil and natural gas. Waggoner Estate. The online retailing billionaire who founded Amazon and is among the wealthiest people in the world owns 420,000 acres, which is about three times the size of Guam. The Singleton family owns 1,110,000 acres in New Mexico and California. And then there are the individuals, including Shannon Kizer, who owns 302,000 acres in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. A recent deal to take Dole private makes Murdock the sole owner of 25,000 acres in Hawaii. The Lykes heirs own in Florida a 337,000 acre ranch, which includes sugar cane and cattle operations, as well as a 264,555 acre ranch in west Texas. 200,000 acres This hedge fund manager wears his Audubon Medal with pride. Roughly equal to: Twice the size of Dallas. Killam family: 277,000 acres, mostly ranches in Texas and Oregon and oil operations in Louisiana, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, and Texas. 1 is John Malone, who can boast being the largest landowner in the US with 2.2 million acres. They love tradition. A logging family with a state-of-the-art $30 million softwood sawmill in Ashland, Maine. Boyd's Frying Pan Ranch was originally made up of 95 sections in the Texas Panhandle, which was one of the first areas to test out barbed-wire fencing over 130 years ago. Roughly equal to: The size of Oklahoma City. Errol Galt is the former Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Game commissioner. His NC2 Media Company recently bought Lonely Planet guidebooks. Family members have run a long-time lumber business. Estimates were based on information from published reports, online databases, tax records and information provided by various land owners. Our list of the 10 largest landowners in the U.S. in 2020 is based on the data from Land Report. Few can claim the title of cowboy philanthropist. Other than running significant cattle farms, Mechenbier and his wife help finance orphanages in New Mexico. This businessman has ranch holdings in Texas, Florida, and New Mexico. Owns Amazon and The Washington Post, but few know Silicon Valleys leading mind spent summers on his grandfathers ranch. McDonald family: 474,000 acres in Alabama, Florida, and Oklahoma but the majority of the family's land holdings are in Maine. His land holdings have helped knit together 800,000 acres of publicly and privately protected land from Colorados Great Sand Dunes National Park to Northern New Mexico. 247,000 acres Roughly equal to: Two and a half times the size of Phoenix. 1,500,000 acres 280,000 acres Much of the land is used to grow crops like wheat, corn, and sorghum. Climbed the rankings this year by adding land between Dallas and Waco to his Texas panhandle holdings. Dont over look the kitchen at the familys Pitchfork Ranch. 42. Family members are mostly sheep and cattle ranchers who owe some of their wealth to the discovery of uranium and coal on their property. Malone's 2.2 million acres are largely located in Maine, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming and include profitable cattle ranches. David Fasken, a Canadian lawyer, bought the massive C Ranch from the Texas General Land Office in 1913. Among the soccer teams, railroads, movie theaters and newspaper, the Denver billionaire has enough land for what will be one of the largest wind farms in the country. 37. Thank them for the shirt on your back. Much of the land is used for grazing by 50,000 head of buffalo, the largest herd of bison in the world. 112,042 acres When your ranch surrounds a For Union National Monument in Northern New Mexico, you have to think slightly beyond raising cattle. 615,000 acres That means the federal government controls 31.7% of the state's land. Pingree heirs:830,000 acres in Maine. 163,800 acres 155,000 acres He is a cable TV mogul who currently owns the $24 billion company, Liberty Media. Lay folks like to hear land measured in acres or square miles, but the Killiam prefer animal units the measure of how many cows an area can graze. For a basic sense of how the world of ultra-massive real estate has changed, heres one fact: Between 2012 and 2013, the top 100 added 700,000 acres to their collective portfolios, bringing their total to two percent of the U.S. land mass. They own several large ranches in the northern part of the state. Much of the land is in Texas. The 50th largest land ownersare the Hadley family, heirs to the Anheuser-Busch beer empire, who own 260,000 acres in New Mexico. Baron Collier, an advertising executive who developed land and infrastructure in southern Florida, had been largest landholder in the state at the time of his death. 100,000 acres In 1864, great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Sinclair bought Niihau, the Forbidden Island of Hawaii, for $10,000 in gold from King Kamehameha V. Since, the family has honored the islands traditional culture, but not always to commercial success. Roughly equal to: As large as Anchorage, AK. Ed Bass helped build the brand-new $540 million Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, which opened in late October 2019. The former media tycoon made his wealth building the company Tele-Communications Inc., or TCI, which he sold to AT&T for $50 billion 20 years ago. 4. The Emmerson family owns and operates Sierra Pacific Industries, a company that logs usable lumber after forest fires and sells it to lumber retailers. 29. 150,000 acres The Briscoes operation spreads over nine Texas counties and three Briscoe generations. The family businesses include lumber, newspapers, and petrochemicals. The majority of the land controlled by the private owners is West of the Mississippi River, with exceptions in Maine and Florida. 44, with 277,000 acres of ranches that fuel the family's cattle and oil interests. His Mare Pasture development will integrate high-end commercial and residential development with vineyards, orchards, gardens, greenhouses and plenty of land for grass-fed beef. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. J.G. Its one of Turners most spectacular ranches. The Babbitts are long-time Arizona cattle ranchers who have been in the area since 1886. Cowboys on horseback still work these New Mexico ranches. Vermejo Park is the only Turner ranch operating as a full-service guest ranch. Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke has even more land, coming in at No. I think the Longyear family and Longyear Heirs out of Marquette MI own at least 100,000 acres. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. Babbitt heirs:275,000 acres in Arizona. 220,000 acres Heirs of the late Thomas O'Connor, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland in the 1800s, own over half a million acres, including the O'Connor Ranch in south Texas. Family members runlumber, newspapers, and petrochemicals businesses. Roughly equal to: Half the size of Yosemite National Park. 179,129 acres The "9" continues under third- and fourth-generation ownership, exemplifying the ranching heritage and tradition. St. Louis businessman Leo Drey began making sizable donations of Missouri forest land to the non-profit in the 1960s. Do fence them in. Theyve been ranching Oklahoma for over a century, but you may know Ree Dummond best, who joined the family when she married Lee Drummond. CNN founder Ted Turner may own more land in New Mexico than his friend and longtime business partner John Malone who bought the 290,100-acre Bell Ranch in northeastern New Mexico in 2010, but . Cant say we expected any less from someone named Crowbar Beggs. Roughly equal to: The size of Los Angeles. 9 Ranch Caprock, N.M. and J.E. Bezos is cofounder of Amazon. Lee family:275,000 acres in New Mexico. The cowboy favorite is buttermilk piesugar, eggs and rich dairy products loaded into a couple of pie pans. Eugene Gabrych has no idea. The 25 Largest Landowners In The U.S.: #25.Jeff Bezos 290,000 Acres Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos bought a 290,000 acre ranch in Texas in 2004. The Lee Family owns an estimated 275,000 acres in New Mexico. His properties include the 11,830 Broseco Ranch, which contains two lakes that are 100 acres in size. The Butler Heirs have partnered with government and nonprofits to help ensure their land is healthy, productive, and beautiful far into the future. His cows are big, thick, good traveling, sound, fertile, hardy Herefords. Much of Turner's land is used as grazing land for over 50,000 head of buffalo - the largest private herd of bison in the world. Horton:503,000 acres in New Mexico and Texas, where he hosts a children's summer camp. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Heart of America, a song he co-wrote with his wife, became the anthem of the Today shows campaign to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Between 2012 and 2013, the top 100 added 700,000 acres to their collective portfolios, big, thick, good traveling, sound, fertile, hardy. The ten largest landowners in America are 1. cable and media honcho John Malone (2.2 million acres), 2. lumber titans Emmerson Family, 3. In Rural America, Right-to-Repair Laws are the Leading Edge of a Pushback Meet the Modern Graziers Who Broke Into Regenerative Agriculture, No Farmland Required, 7 Smokable Plants You Can Grow That Arent Marijuana, Sustainable Farmers See Promise in New Financing Options, New Solar Panels Allow Farmers to See the Light, The Buzzy Edible Insect Trend is Gaining Traction in the West. Roughly equal to: The size of San Antonio. 125,000 acres Then there's the Killiams at No. Westervelt's heirs own over half a million acres across Alabama, Mississippi, and Virginia. John Malone is the largest private landowner in the United States. 22. At the same time they strive to help maximize potential revenue. The property is the largest ranch in the state,by Captain Richard King in 1853 and subsequently passed down through generations. Clayton was set to bring his cowboy image to the Texas governorship until a set of gaffs derailed the campaign in 1990. Second-generation president, Allyn Ford (degrees from Stanford, Yale), keeps reforestation and recycling science at the core of his management of Rosenberg Forestry Products. The Lydas are Texas cattle ranchers and landowners. Luther and Frank King independently run their cattle operations in the heart of Texas. These Gardens Started When Travel Slowed. The most common exceptions to this rule are parcels located in Maine and Florida. Mike Smith:295,980 acres in Texas. Estimates are based on information from published reports, online databases, tax records, and information provided by various landowners, and include only rural land holdings. David Pingree, known as the Merchant Prince of Salem, built an empire that exceeded 1 million acres in the 1800s. Many of the owners are ranchers, heirs to the properties or companies founded decades ago that purchased the land. 149,000 acres 28 to 35 | Nos. Then theres the Department of Defense handling 4.6% of the land. Since then, they have been acquiring land. Starting with royal-looking Ramboulient sheep, the Broadbents have diversified their ranches to include cattle, horses, timber, hunting and wind turbines. (Just kidding. The family is in the oil business. Now, Theyre Spurring Tourism. Roughly equal to: One-tenth the size of Puerto Rico. John Malone: 2.2 million acres in Maine, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. Family members are farmers and descendants of, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' . Some want that land for cattle, others for farming, others to test their reusable space craft (those hobby store model rockets just werent enough, were they Mr. Roughly equal to: Twice the size of Guam. The land has short grasses, alpine tundra mountains, and more. It's been billed "The Sale of the Century," the largest sale of deeded land in the American West for 60 years: billionaire John Malone 's purchase of the 453 square-mile Bell Ranch in New Mexico . 38. Billionaire, lumber entrepreneur, real estate developer, and song writer. 213,730 acres Background: The Pingree family's fortune in timber began in the mid 1800s and has conserved more than three quarters of a million acres of Maine forestland -- a block larger than the size of Rhode Island. Collier was the largest landholder in the state at the time of his death. While over a quarter of all land in the United States is owned by the federal government here is a look at how much land the government owns in every state vast swaths of the country are owned by just a handful of individuals and families. 153,000 acres The Kokernot family's 06 Ranch brand registered in Texas since 1837. Background: Anne Marion is the fourth generation heir to Samuel Burnett, a cattle rancher who amassed more than a third of a million acres in Texas by the early 1900s. Turns out they still own a huge part of the country. 263,066 acres But shes upset local interests. The descendants of the late Kenneth Ford own 580,000 acres primarily in Oregon. Billy Green still oversees the ranch from Albany, Texas, which won the 2002 American Quarter Horse Association Best Remuda Award. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Evans turned himself in this June. The ranch recently received a conservation easement from the U.S. Department of Defense and New Mexico Land Conservancy. Roughly equal to: Twice the size of Jacksonville, FL. Chalk up 3,000 animal units to the Dana Ranch. Background: Holland Ware's fortunes in the timber industry began in the early 50s with his first purchase of 100 acres for $10 when he was 15 years old. He also knows his way around the rest of the world. After over 100 years in operation, its still run by tough men on horses. . Malone made his fortune as a media tycoon, building the company Tele-Communications, Inc, or TCI, and acting as its CEO before selling it to AT&T for $50 billion in 1999. 45. 422,164 acres Ford family: 580,000 acresin Oregon. The enormous cattle operation near Yellowstone National Park seems not to mind when elk or antelope walk by. His investment in Spaceport America is expected to bring jobs and economic growth to the area. Llano Partners:295,000 acres in New Mexico, Texas and Florida. largest landowners in louisiana. Roughly equal to: The size of Phoenix, Arizona. The combined landholdings belonged to former Texas governor, the late Dolph Briscoe Jr. 12. Land: Oil and gas divisions throughout the West and Southwest; timber units across Maine, Oklahoma, and the Southeast. In 1959, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. New Mexico is known for its rugged terrain, ancient history, and connections to popular culture. Roughly equal to: One-fifth the size of Delaware. Land: Cow-calf operations on Cedar Creek and PV Ranch in Montana; Q Creek Land & Livestock Company runs up to 12,000 yearlings on 550,000+ acres in Wyoming. Manages ranches only fit for the best cowboys. He is now buried somewhere on the premises. Roughly equal to: Two-and-a-half times larger than Indianapolis. He operates a ranch and children's summer camp. 6. Animals, plants, survival tips, and more. Phil Bidegain keeps the business model for the T4 Ranch as simple as possible. He now owns and manages spreads in Texas, Montana and Wyoming. The Irving family is the sixth largest private landholder in the United States. Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell (September 14, 1818 - July 25, 1875) was a mountain man, rancher, scout, and farmer who at one point owned more than 1,700,000 acres (6,900 km 2).Along with Thomas Catron and Ted Turner, Maxwell was one of the largest private landowners in United States history. Malone made his fortune as a media tycoon, building the company Tele-Communications, Inc, or TCI, and acting as its CEO before selling it to AT&T for $50 billion in 1999. Who owns the largest ranch in Montana? Luke Brite made a name breeding some of the toughest cattle in Texas around the turn of the century. two main ranches, the 6666 Ranch near Guthrie and the Dixon Creek Ranch near Panhandle, total 275,000 acres. Shannon Kizer has 302,000 acres across five states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Of all the grandpa-bought-some-land stories in this list, this is the best. In one letter to Ronald Reagan, he explained how, Privatization dates back at least to Adam Smith, Plato, Aristotle and Jesus.. 373,000 acres We have no idea what those Spanish writings say. Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. Forget accusations of slave labor practices at the Fanjuls sugar plantations in the Dominican Republic. Dan and Farris Wilks Who Owns Montana's Largest Ranch? Collectively, the Robinson and Freed families own 300,000 acres in partnership. New Mexicos top landowners are shaping the future of this unique state, making it an exciting place to live, work, and play. But who owns the most land? Other than Montana Ranches, the Wilks have a firm called Frac Tech. Family members run renewable energy, lumber and wildlife services. He uses the land to test reusable space vehicles. Roughly equal to: Two-thirds the size of Yosemite National Park. Sounds like the perfect setting for a combination of Gunsmoke and Beverly Hills: 90210. John Malone has 2.2 million acres, mostly in four. 230,000 acres Brad Maurice Kelley (born 1956) is an American businessman who is the 7th largest landowner in the U.S., with an estimated net worth of US$2.2 billion in 2018. 141,700 acres 1,000 turbines are currently under construction on a combination of his private land and public land in Wyoming. Background: The Lykes family-owned company began as a cattle ranching operation and has since expanded into bioenergy and farming. The ranch spawned from land that was originally purchased by Captain Richard King in 1853 and subsequently passed down through generations. 36. As the founder of Cable News Network and now vice chairman of Time Warner, Ted Turner is famous, even legendary. These private individuals and entities significantly impact the lands environment and culture. 1. Like the second-biggest landowner in the country, John Malone made his fortune in telecommunications and media, and was . Boyd jumped 10 places to sit among America's 50 largest landowners after adding 18,253 acres to his portfolio. Waggoner Estate claims to be the largest Texas ranch under one fence. Bird populations:Here's how we can save them. 189,000 acres Now you know the top three landowners in New Mexico. The 50th largest land owners are the Hadley family, heirs to the Anheuser-Busch beer empire, who own 260,000 acres in New Mexico. To date, the clan has produced one governor: Dolph Briscoe Jr, who served two terms for the Lone Star State. Other than buying and selling financial institutions at huge markups, Ford has a deep love of the land. 41. The land conservancy act will protect more than 500 species of vertebrates. Family members are heirs to theAnheuser-Busch beer empire. 230,000 acres Broe's Hubble & Green Ranches in New Mexico cover 290,000 acres. The vast swaths of property are used for farming, ranching, logging and renewable energy production. Robert East, great-grandson of Richard King (see #7), funded the foundation to build ranches compatible for livestock and wildlife in South Texas.