The Coloradoans focus on buffalo ranching, cattle ranching and farming. Today, the Stimson family owns 552,000 acres, primarily in Montana and Oregon. Background: The Lykes family-owned company began as a cattle ranching operation and has since expanded into bioenergy and farming. 433,000 acres 22. The terrain is diverse and spectacular to see. Background: After Mark Reed married the daughter of Sol Simpson at the turn of the century, the Reed family continues to operate the privately owned Simpson Investment Company that is one of the oldest forest products companies in the Pacific Northwest. It also oversees granting grazing leases and mineral rights on federally-owned lands. The family, thanks to the property which amounts to roughly twice the size of Chicago, was able to enrich themselves off uranium and coal discovered on the land, located in the western half of the state. Isaac Ellwood invented barbed wire in the 1870s. Land: Ranchlands and farms in Texas and Florida. Thank them for the shirt on your back. Boswell Co. is the nations leading cotton grower. Who are the 20 biggest American landowners? | Woodworking Network A 1910 advertisement for his bulls ran, Big-Bones, Broad-Backed, Bald-Faced Beauties-Buy Bar-Cross Bulls- Brites Best. Not bad. Many of them inherited land bought cheap at the turn of the century. Now, Theyre Spurring Tourism. Since then, they have been acquiring land. Ralph R. Ortega For Dailymail.com Second-generation president, Allyn Ford (degrees from Stanford, Yale), keeps reforestation and recycling science at the core of his management of Rosenberg Forestry Products. Nuf said. Background: Malone has served in executive positions in telecommunications firms and is currently the chairman of Liberty Media Corp. Land: 1.2 million acres of forests in Maine. Roughly equal to: Half the size of Connecticut. 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. 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: Three and a half times the size of Philadelphia. 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. 23:50 GMT 25 Nov 2019 Malone Mitchell runs Longfellow Ranches, a 500 square mile hunting preserve. Its one of Turners most spectacular ranches. 175,000 acres The family descends from the 1970s Texas governor and rancher Dolph Briscoe Jr. Briscoe was the largest Texas landowner when he . The family patriarch owned half a million acres in Texas, and the family fortune grew considerably when his son discovered oil on family land. 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. The 50th largest land ownersare the Hadley family, heirs to the Anheuser-Busch beer empire, who own 260,000 acres in New Mexico. Through Sierra Pacific, the family owns some 2 million acres in California and Washington. Background: Alice Gertrudis Kleberg East, gave up her interest in her grandfather Richard King of King Ranch estate in exchange for the San Antonio and Santa Fe ranches. From Ted Turner to Jeff Bezos to the federal government, New Mexico has some of the biggest landowners in the nation. Still, the family hasnt climbed in this years rankings. Background: The main cash cow for King Ranch remains ranching and farming but it has also expanded into publishing, retail and eco-tourism. Family members have run a long-time lumber business. Her two main ranches, the 6666 Ranch near Guthrie and the Dixon Creek Ranch near Panhandle, total 275,000 acres. By the way, what is it about land that makes people want to number their children? Youd think that growing tobacco would be a surefire way to earn a place on the Land 100, but Umphrey made his fortune suing tobacco companies. Background: The J.R. Simplot Company started its fortune in potatoes but diversified over the years to become one of the largest, privately held food companies in the world. This Man Owns More Land Than Anyone Else in America He founded the Commonwealth Brands tobacco company in 1991 and sold the company in 2001 to Houchens Industries for US$1 billion. New Mexico is known for its rugged terrain, ancient history, and connections to popular culture. We think of William Randolph Hearst as the newspaper mogul whispering Rosebud to an empty room, but the family fortune started with land. 373,000 acres Their breeding efforts earned them a place in the Cutting Horse Hall of Fame. Moursund III must have been one hell of a judge. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and are used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. King Ranch heirs: 911,215 acres inTexas. Bass family:285,000 acres in Texas. 500,000 acres 110,448 acres Starting with royal-looking Ramboulient sheep, the Broadbents have diversified their ranches to include cattle, horses, timber, hunting and wind turbines. His purchase of the Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa brings tourists closer to two of his landmark properties and, ya know, space. A recent deal to take Dole private makes Murdock the sole owner of 25,000 acres in Hawaii. Take Jeff Bezos, for example. 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 . Thank you for reading! Roughly equal to: The size of Hong Kong. Heres how it breaks down between each division: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) handles 54.7% of the land, followed by the U.S. Forest Service at 37.4%. According to his company bio, investor Arthur Nicholas made his fortune by systematizing, the process of using dynamic quantitative models to find value-added performance. He may or may not be talking about his cow and horse breeding efforts in Wyoming. CNN founder Ted Turner owns 2 million acres of land largely in New Mexico, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Georgia. 33. Its recreational offerings include hunting, fishing, and eco-tourism activities. The founder of Burts Bees hopes she isnt on the list for long. Crystal is a curious writer who's always looking to learn more. 29. With plans underway for a major expansion of the aerospace industry, Bezos will no doubt be a major player in the states future. 255,000 acres Briscoe heirs:640,000 acres in Texas. 145,000 acres 166,655 acres Irving family:1.2 million acres in Maine. 28 to 35 | Nos. Family members are ranch operators. 9, owns more than twice as much as Bezos. Dont over look the kitchen at the familys Pitchfork Ranch. The rest is history. Malone, the largest private landowner in the United States and who made his fortune in the telecom business, runs profitable cattle ranches. 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. To determine the largest landowners in the United States, 24/7 Wall St . His ranch is a refuge for a herd of big horn sheep, trophy elk, antelope, mountain lions and stone writings from early Spanish explorers, asking Donde esta la carne? or Wheres the beef? Ya, thats a joke. 150,000 acres The Kokernot family's 06 Ranch brand has been registered in the state since 1837. According the company, it turns out that Frac Techs specialty-hydraulic fracturing is one of the two drivers powering the U.S. energy renaissance. The family is in the oil business. With over 77 million acres of land, theres plenty of room for people and nature to coexist. The BLM manages public lands and resources, including promoting recreational access. John Cassidy began amassing his 200,000 acre logging empire in Maine before the Civil War. Some love the land so much they end up inside it. Theyve been ranching Oklahoma for over a century, but you may know Ree Dummond best, who joined the family when she married Lee Drummond. And then there are the individuals, including Shannon Kizer, who owns 302,000 acres in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. 46. O'Connor, above, continued to expand the land his father, Thomas O'Connor, was awarded in the Battle of San Jacinto. 141,700 acres Bass family Land. 112,600 acres 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. After his family made a killing in the oil and gas business, Dan Allen Hughes Jr. has attempted to make his name with the purchase Texas hunting land. Much of the land is used to grow crops like wheat, corn, and sorghum. Land: Approximately half a million acres of timberland east of the Mississippi. 14. Peter Buck made his fortune as a founding partner of the Subway restaurant franchise. 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. The family businesses include lumber, newspapers, and petrochemicals. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The land and livestock division has 37 farms and 15 ranches with capacity for 30,000 mother cows. 13/20 Henry Singleton cofounded the industrial conglomerate Teledyne in 1960, and begin acquiring ranch land in New. This businessman has ranch holdings in Texas, Florida, and New Mexico. Roughly equal to: Half the size of Lake Ontario. Have some feedback for us? Kizer's farming and ranching operations produce peanuts, corn, wheat, dairy and cattle. 33 - North Carolina Phil Bidegain keeps the business model for the T4 Ranch as simple as possible. 22 to 27 | Nos. Roughly equal to: Three times the size of Guam. John Malone is the largest private landowner in the United States. The Lee Family owns an estimated 275,000 acres in New Mexico. Each year The Land Report publishes a list nations top property owners ranked by the number of acres they own in the United States. America's Biggest Landowners - Forbes Other than Montana Ranches, the Wilks have a firm called Frac Tech. Koch Ranches Inc. specializes in high-quality grass-fed beef. The oil, real estate, and ranching family bought 60,000-acre Dana Ranch in Montana earlier this year. The majority of the land controlled by the private owners is West of the Mississippi River, with exceptions in Maine and Florida. The family used the sale of New Mexicos Ladder Ranch to Ted Turner to purchase La Escalera ranch in Texas. Eugene Gabrych has no idea. A few people and families own more than 100 million acres of land in the United States. Their land is primarily made of up six cattle ranches in Utah. Background: Gerald Lyda's success in construction and land development in the 70s allowed him to return to ranching and amass over 900,000 acres within his lifetime. Roughly equal to: Twice the size of Badlands National Park. Top 100 Largest Landowners Of Private Property In The United States Own Roughly 40 Million Acres Equalling 2% Of The Country's Total Land. 7. 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. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. The Kokernot family's 06 Ranch brand registered in Texas since 1837. Roughly equal to: One-tenth the size of Connecticut. And it only gets bigger from there for several wealthy families. Many of them inherited land bought cheap at the turn of. And the land, while private, is still use for commercial purposes, the 24/7 Wall Street investigation found. At their production sale, the Powell Family promises cows with, a heavily muscled quarter with a thick loin designed for maximum performance. Urban farming:Growing 600lbs of gourmet mushrooms a week, Latino immigrants:Wisconsin's dairy industry would collapse without them. Why Dont American Farmers Embrace Peasant Farming? Soloviev uses the landto grow crops like wheat, corn, and sorghum. 8. That includes seven productive cattle operations and two farms. The familys Green Diamond Resource Company and Simpson Investment Company owns forests in California and Washington, all of which have an independent stamp of approval from the Forest Stewardship Council. The overriding goal is to develop and implement management plans that protect the land. New Mexico, Texas, Florida, and Oregon. Texas Monthly calls their Alpine Cowboys baseball team, the best little semi-pro baseball team in Texas., 276,000 acres We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. While true to their legendary ranching roots, the heirs of King Ranch Inc. have diversified their portfolio to include land for pecans, citrus, turf grass and vegetables. Ed Bass helped build the brand-new $540 million Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, which opened in late October 2019. The former Reebok CEO now owns James Stewarts old ranch in Nevada and has grazing rights to another three-quarter of a million acres. . J.G. Together, his family owns 390,000 acres. The land conservancy act will protect more than 500 species of vertebrates. 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. Family members runlumber, newspapers, and petrochemicals businesses.