Top 100 Landowners In America

[Weedygarden]

https://www.landreport.com/americas-100-largest-landowners/

Land Report 100


THE BELL | The distinctive butte that gives this New Mexico ranch its famous name has been a majestic sentinel to those who toil in its shadow.

No. 1 John Malone
2,200,000 acres

In addition to its focus on the productivity and profitability of its cattle operations, Malone’s SILVER SPUR RANCHES makes the preservation of historic structures and time-tested traditions a priority as well. One of the many examples of this takes place on New Mexico’s BELL RANCH, an historic land grant that dates back to 1824. In 2010, Malone acquired the Bell from the heirs of William Lane, who had reassembled 290,100 acres of the original Pablo Montoya grant. Two years later in 2012, a chuck wagon rolled out of Bell Ranch headquarters and the crew spent the next four weeks preparing grub for Bell cowboys during spring works. The wooden-wheeled wagon was pulled by a pair of Bell Quarter Horses. “We’ve been so fortunate that Silver Spur has bought the Bell Ranch and has allowed us to maintain some of these old traditions and bring some of them back,” said Kris Wilson, the Bell manager who resurrected the tradition.

THE FULL LIST: AMERICA’S 100 LARGEST LANDOWNERS
1. John Malone
2. Ted Turner
3. Emmerson Family [Up 3,566 Acres]
4. Reed Family [Up 359,232 Acres]
5. Stan Kroenke
6. Irving Family [Up 1,644 Acres]
7. Brad Kelley
8. Singleton Family
9. Peter Buck [Up 125,000 Acres]
10. King Ranch Heirs
11. Pingree Heirs
12. Wilks Brothers
13. Briscoe Heirs
14. Lykes Heirs
15. Hamer Family
16. O’Connor Heirs
17. Thomas Peterffy [Up 20,000 Acres]
18. Ford Family [Down 203,000 Acres]
19. Martin Family
20. Stimson Family
21. Holland Ware
22. Westervelt Heirs
23. D.R. Horton
24. McDonald Family
25. Simplot Family
26. Fisher Family
27. Philip Anschutz
28. Jeff Bezos [Up 20,000 Acres]
29. Holding Family [Down 4,790 Acres]
30. Hughes Family
31. Zane & Tanya Kiehne [NEW TO LR100]
32. Malone Mitchell 3rd
33. Stefan Soloviev [Up 1,377 Acres]
34. Collins Family
35. Shannon Kizer
36. Robinson & Freed Families [NEW TO LR100]
37. Mike Smith [Up 12,386 Acres]
38. Llano Partners
39. Barta Family [Up 37,000 Acres]
40. Bass Family
41. Collier Family
42. Fasken Family [Up 19,128 Acres]
43. Kokernot Heirs
44. Killam Family
45. Babbitt Heirs [Up 5,000 Acres]
45. Lee Family
45. Anne Marion
48. Galt Family
49. Lyda Family
50. Hadley Family [NEW TO LR100]
51. Coffee Family
52. Jones Family
52. True Family
54. Reynolds Family
54. Sanders Family
56. Paul Fireman
57. D.K. Boyd
58. Riggs Family [Up 5,486 Acres]
59. Koch Family
60. Nunley Family
61. Kenedy Memorial Foundation
62. Louis Bacon [Up 1,016 Acres]
63. Brophy Family [NEW TO LR100]
64. Bidegain Family
65. Yates Family [Up 2,493 Acres]
66. Cassidy Family
67. Scott Family
68. Eugene Gabrych [Up 18,000 Acres]
69. Hearst Family [Up 3,000 Acres]
70. East Foundation
71. T.R. Miller
72. Gage Heirs
73. Russell Gordy
74. Cocanougher Family
75. Anthony Family
75. Hunt Family
75. Langdale Family
75. Arthur Nicholas
79. Skiles Family
80. Offutt Family
80. Stewart & Lynda Resnick
82. Williams Family
83. Durrett Family
84. Bridwell Heirs
84. Haynes Family
86. Kennedy Family
87. Mike Mechenbier
88. Broadbent Family
88. Irwin Heirs
90. Sugg Family
91. Jones Sisters
92. Cogdell Family
92. Fanjul Family
94. JA Ranch Heirs
95. Reese Family
96. Ellison Family
96. McCoy & Remme Ranches
98. Boswell Family
98. Eddy Family
98. Green Heirs

 

[Swing]

Darn, I could use a few acres. I need to get busy to catch up with anyone.

 

[Weedygarden]

Darn, I could use a few acres. I need to get busy to catch up with anyone.

My thought about this is that this leads us back to the days of Feudalism, with landowners and serfs (peasants). It makes land less available to those of us who might like to have a few acres--5 or 10, 40 (quarter of a quarter section), 160 (quarter section), 640 (section).

I had a recent discussion with an uncle about land ownership. In days gone by, land was usually held for generations by a family. Nowadays, it mostly gets sold off so that everyone can have their piece of the pie right now. People don't think of a bigger picture. Siblings and relatives do not get along so owning land is not easy. When my grandparents died, the land was held in the family for about 10 years, with one uncle leasing it for his cattle. He and the executor, his old brother were always scrapping about it and the easy thing to do was to sell it. Wish I had gotten my share in land, not money. But it doesn't work that way. My share was 1/28th of about 1000 acres, about 35 acres. This was not the most productive land. The value of that land is many times more now than what it was sold for. EDIT: prior to the sale of the land, some of it had been in the family for around 80 years.

How to acquire wealth? Own property. The price rarely seems to go down.

 

[Spikedriver]

It's always good to have a piece of ground you can put your feet on. I'm having a real problem with the regulation of private property though. Taxed - check. Want to improve it? Get a permit. Want to build? Get a permit. Then pay more tax. Every thing you want to do is subject to an authority.

 

[joel]

We only have 19.5 we have a way to go.
I thought Walmart would be on that list.

 

[Weedygarden]

We only have 19.5 we have a way to go.
I thought Walmart would be on that list.

You have more than most Americans. I would think Walton Family, not Walmart, but one in the same.

I looked for the Drummond family in Oklahoma. Ree Drummond has had a cooking show, written a blog and a few cookbooks. I thought I read that the Drummonds were something like the 17th largest land owner in America, but not according to the list.

 

[bkt]

The #1 land owner is the Federal government at 640 million acres (source).