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LARGEST USA LANDOWNERS

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TOP ROW: W

YMAN MEINZER, KATHY MCCRAINE, KENTON ROWE CENTER ROW: BELL RANCH, SAM BELLING, VERMEJO PARK BOTTOM ROW: BELL RANCH, W

YATT MCSPADDEN, BELL RANCH

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LARGEST USA LANDOWNERS

PLUS: LABRADOR RETRIEVERS | BP OIL SPILL | LAND REPORT TOP TEN

SALE OF THE CENTURY:

JOHN MALONE BUYSNEW MEXICO’S

290,100-ACRE BELL RANCH

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This year marks the fourth time The Land Report has presented the top 100 landowners in the country. And it also marks the fourth time that Ted Turner has topped our

list. In 2010, Turner added to his chart-topping 2 million-plus acresby acquiring Nonami Plantation near Albany, Georgia. The acquisi-tion is a notable one because Nonami ranks as the largest propertyfor the entrepreneur, environmentalist, philanthropist, and mediamogul in the state where he was raised.

Nonami Plantation adds 8,800 acres to the 15 ranches Turnerowns in seven states, and it is considered one of the finest quailhunting venues in the Peach State. Turner purchased the plantationfrom a longtime business associate, Atlanta developer Tom Cousins,in a private transaction.

“Tom and Ted have been good friends for many years,” saysTurner spokesman Phillip Evans. “From what I understand theymade a gentlemen’s agreement years ago. If Tom ever decided tosell, Ted would get first option to purchase the property. They bothappreciate what a special piece of land it is.”

Much of the property is already under a conservation easement.“As with all of Turner’s land, Nonami will be managed in an envi-ronmentally and ecologically friendly manner,” Evans adds.

Turner’s record as a landowner proves that he is nothing if notdedicated to running his holdings in a way that promotes the con-servation of both the land itself and native species. In particular,Turner is known for his conservation of buffalo.

His 50,000+ is the world’s largest private herd. He recently offered to shelter 87 bison from Yellowstone National Park for five years as part of an experiment by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to establish a free-roaming herd free ofbrucellosis and other diseases that can spread to cattle. After the five years, the bison will be returned to the State of Montana, andTurner will keep a percentage of the herd’s offspring.

Innovative solutions to ensure the continuation of endangeredspecies are but one facet of Turner’s stewardship philosophy.Another lies in clean, renewable energy. In January 2010, TurnerRenewable Energy partnered with Southern Company to developrenewable energy resources on his properties as well as off. Theirfirst project, New Mexico’s Cimarron Solar Facility, will be one ofthe nation’s largest photovoltaic plants, generating enough energy tosupply 9,000 homes with electricity. Cimarron, which is scheduledto begin commercial operation in late 2010, is located next toTurner’s Vermejo Park Ranch, the largest privately owned pon-derosa pine ecosystem in the nation.

The Cimarron plant is yet another example of how Turner backsup his opinions with concrete action. He has been increasingly vocalabout his belief that the United States should move toward moresustainable forms of energy, and he has gone as far as to lobbyCongress on renewable energy and climate issues. It goes hand inhand with his desire to use his clout and his land to make the worlda better place for his—and our—children and grandchildren.

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The family business, Irving Woodlands, has been an integral part of forestry inMaine for more than 60 years and owns over 1.2 million acres certified by boththe Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Forest

research and conservation are key elements of the company’s forestry activities. Notonly are 20 percent of its holdings dedicated to habitat conservation, but the Irvingsdonated $1 million to create a chair in forest sustainability research at the University of Maine. The company has earned the Gulf of Maine Visionary Award and has beenrecognized by the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the InteriorDepartment for research and conservation of the Northern Forest woodcock. IrvingWoodlands is also a leader in tree planting and reforestations.

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Ted Turner2+ million acresVISIONARY

The nation’s largest

landowner acquired one of Georgia’sfinest quailplantations

in 2010.

Red Emmerson1.722 million acresTIMBER

The lumber industry’s sluggish yearmay have taken Emmerson down a few notches on Forbes’s roster of

billionaires, but he remains in the secondslot on The Land Report’s list, right wherehe’s been all along. The third generation of Emmersons is now involved in runningthe family’s Sierra Pacific Industries: Red’slate father “Curly” founded the business in1949, Red serves as president, and his sonMark is VP of finance. Sierra Pacific ranksas California’s largest private landowner.Among its noteworthy achievements in2010 was placing 7,500 acres just north ofTruckee under conservation easements,the first such action taken by the company.

Brad Kelley1.7 million acresCONSERVATION

Like many aself-made billionaire,

Brad Kelley shunspublicity. Shuns it so much, in fact,that he’s becomesomething of anenigma to many of his neighbors, a presence madeeven larger by hisabsence. Kelley’senormous holdingsare spread acrossTexas, New Mexico,and Florida. Hisproperties are used primarily to propa-gate rare species ofanimals, includingendangered ones.He has used his

shrewd businessacumen to guide his purchases, snapping up choicetracts with the natural resourcesneeded to furtherhis considerableconservation efforts.

Irving Family1.2 million acresTIMBER

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JohnMalone1.2 million acresMEDIA

The onlymajor move-ment in this

year’s top ten isLiberty Media CEOJohn Malone, whosepurchase of the290,000-acre BellRanch this Augustleapfrogged himfrom No. 7 to No. 5,ahead of KingRanch and theSingleton Family.Thanks to his conservation-mind-ed land ownership,Malone has earnedmany friends (bothtwo-legged andfour-legged) overthe years. In aninterview onBloomberg in July,Malone said that hisfriend Ted Turnerwas partly his inspi-ration. “It is sort of a lasting economicasset, and if you arecharitably mindedand you like conser-vation, you sort ofcan do well bydoing good,” he said.“I own a lot of land.In fact, Ted and Iare neighbors inNew Mexico.”

5Odds are you already know New Mexico’s

Bell Ranch. At 453 square miles, it’skind of hard to overlook. But to focus

on size alone is to overlook a much richer story.The Bell has been featured in countlessWesterns and dramatically depicted on millionsof Stetson hatboxes. If you’re old enough to remember when tobacco compa-nies could advertise, the ranch’smesas and pastures were the time-less backdrop in many a Marlboroprint campaign. Few venues epitomize the American West likethe gorgeous grasslands, stunningmesas, and rugged rimrock canyonssurrounding the distinctive bell-shaped mountain a short ride north of the Canadian River.

The Bell Ranch is a place of loreand legend whose contemporaryhistory dates back to an impossiblylarge land grant of some 656,000acres by the Mexican government toPablo Montoya in 1824. Only thehills know how long the Comanche,the Kiowa, and the Apache madecamp along the banks of La CintaCreek before the Spanish army offi-cer petitioned Mexico City for his lands.

Almost two centuries have passed since DonPablo took title to more than 1,000 square milesof what eventually became the New MexicoTerritory. Its ideal setting—the ranch ranges inelevation from 4,200 to 5,600 feet above sealevel—is more reminiscent of the AfricanSerengeti than the Great Plains or the LlanoEstacado. Top-notch cowmen such as the pioneering trailblazer Charlie Goodnight havelong marveled at the ranch’s plentiful waters, itsprotein-rich grasses, and the temperate climate.The lure of this remote cattle kingdom is sostrong that the Bell has enticed five formidable

men to commit themselves to shepherding theranch since 1933: Albert Mitchell, George Ellis,Don Hofman, Rusty Tinnin, and Bert Ancell, the general manager, who had 41 years of experience on the Bell. Half a dozen hands with an average of 15 years service on the Bellworked with Ancell.

This peerless legacy is one of the many price-less assets that make the Bell more than simplyanother big spread. Take, for instance, theranch’s horse breeding program, which can be traced back to a remount herd used by theU.S. cavalry almost a century ago. The ranch has also developed a closed composite breed of cattle. Known as RedBell, the breed consists of carefully selected Red Angus and Herefordbloodlines, plus smaller percentages of Brahmaand Gelbvieh. And of course there is also theranch’s iconic one-iron brand. First registered in San Miguel County in 1875, it has been incontinuous use ever since.

After more than a century in operation, theBell was carved into six tracts and parceled offafter the end of the Second World War. But forWilliam Lane II, its legacy would have endedwith this dissolution. In 1970, the chairmanand chief executive of General BindingCorporation purchased the 130,000-acre

headquarters tract near the center of theMontoya Grant, and over the next six years hededicated himself to rebuilding the great ranch.Ultimately, he acquired a total of 290,100 acres,an astounding 44 percent of the original grant.

Lane and his family also put in placeimprovements that dramatically enhanced beef production. Seven large operating unitsare cordoned off by 342 miles of fence and connected by 530 miles of interior roads.Ninety miles of pipeline water 206 stock tanksand 117 wells and windmills. The end result is a world-class working cattle ranch that cansupport 5,000 animal units.

Sale of the CenturyIn 2006, the Lane family began its quest to

find another steward for the Bell. Several leadingbrokerages marketed the property, includingMason and Morse Ranch Company and OrvisCushman & Wakefield. But the Great Recessiontook its toll. The original asking price of $110million was lowered to $99 million and then to

$83 million in 2010 (not including livestock).The one constant throughout this process was

Patrick Bates of Bates Sanders Swan LandCompany, who was brought on to consult forthe Lane family in 2006; by 2010 he was the broker of record. In March, Ron Morris ofRanch Marketing Associates contacted him.Like Bates, Morris is a veteran ranch brokerwith an impressive C.V. His client was noneother than John Malone, Liberty Media’s CEOand one of the most respected stewards of theland in Rockies. A new chapter in the history ofthe Bell was about to begin.

—Eric O’Keefe

20101970

WILLIAM LANE PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE LANE FAMILY JOHN MALONE PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY BY RICH WILKING/REUTERS

Bell Mountain William Lane II John Malone

Liberty Media CEOJohn Malone boughtthe 290,100-acre BellRanch on August 17. Price and terms werenot disclosed on the$83-million listing.

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Pingree Heirs830,000 acresTIMBER

It’s been almost a decade since the heirs of 19th-century shipping magnate David Pingree placed morethan three quarters of a million acres of Maine forestland under conservation easement—a block of land larger than entire state of Rhode Island. The family’s private Seven Island Land Company prides

itself on carrying on David’s plans for conservative long-term timber management.

7For more than 150 years, King Ranch has proven its leadership

as a steward of the land, but resting on their laurels is not acommon attribute of Captain Richard King’s descendants. In

the last century, King Ranch produced the first registered AmericanQuarter Horse and a Triple Crown winner. More recently, it hasleveraged its storied heritage into a nationally recognized brand—not the kind just seen on cattle but the kind visible on Ford trucks.Today, King Ranch is committed to a wide-ranging number ofendeavors, including the King Ranch Institute for RanchManagement at Texas A&M Kingsville and the Caesar KlebergWildlife Research Institute, as well as programs for environmentalstewardship and brush management. And don’t overlook the cattlethat wear the Running W brand. The ranch that produced the SantaGertrudis, aka first breed of cattle in the U.S., also developed a newcomposite breed of cattle, the Santa Cruz.

Other operations include its majority-owned interest in thelargest citrus producer in the U.S., Consolidated Citrus LimitedPartnership; a 60,000-acre farming operation in South Texas; sugarcane and vegetables in Florida; one of the country’s largestpecan shelling operations; the largest turfgrass operation in theState of Texas; a John Deere dealership; and the world-famous KingRanch Saddle Shop, a retail store, catalog, and Internet website specializing in high-end leather goods.

King Ranch911,215 acresRANCHING

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9 10 Stan Kroenke740,000 acresRANCHING

Kroenke just became majority owner of NFL’s St. LouisRams, which required him to turn over control to hisson of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and the NHL’s

Colorado Avalanche. He still controls Major League Soccer'sColorado Rapids, the National Lacrosse League's ColoradoMammoth, and is the largest shareholder in the EnglishPremier League's Arsenal. None of this impacts KroenkeRanches. Cedar Creek and PV Ranch are Montana cow-calfoperations, and Q Creek Land & Livestock Company runsup to 12,000 yearlings on 550,000+ acres in Wyoming. It’salso an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Lodge.

SingletonFamily1.11 million acresRANCHING

Dr. HenrySingletonpurchased

New Mexico’s picturesque SanCristobal Ranch in1986, and today hisfive children contin-ue to run the fami-ly’s ranching empire,just as he wished.Since last year, thefamily has notadded any deededland to its holdings,but instead nearlydoubled its leasedproperty, from95,000 acres to180,000 acres inNew Mexico. Forthe second year in arow, the SingletonRanch rodeo teamwon the NewMexicoChampionshipRanch Rodeo. Thefamily enjoys shar-ing its expertise andranching heritage.Singleton Ranchessupport local youthlivestock programs,established a rodeoscholarship at NewMexico StateUniversity, and holdseveral public horseclinics each year.

Reed Family770,000 acresTIMBER

The Reed family operates the privatelyheld Simpson Investment Company,the holding company for Simpson

Lumber Company, Simpson Tacoma KraftCompany, and Simpson Door Company.Wondering why the name on the companyis Simpson instead of Reed? Sol Simpsonstarted the company in 1890. Mark Reedworked his way up through the company’sranks and married one of Sol’s daughtersaround the turn of the century. Et voilà. Today the company is one of the oldest,continuously operating forest productscompanies in the Pacific Northwest.

In 2004, more than 20 cowboysmounted on Singleton horsesaccepted the honor of NewMexico’s Best Remuda at the New Mexico State Fair Rodeo.

King Ranch’s holdings include turfgrass farms in Texas and Florida.No. 7

No. 6

CONNIE JO MITCHELL

KING RANCH ARCHIVES

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Ford Family625,000 acresTIMBER

The Ford family’s Roseburg ForestProducts has holdings in Oregonand California, where it has estab-lished itself as an industry leaderwith healthy forestry practices. InOregon, the company volunteeredover 4,500 acres nearly 10 years agofor a research endeavor known asthe Hinkle Creek Paired Watershedstudy, which analyzed the effect of current forestry practices on fish populations. This year it wasnamed a recipient of the Award Of Excellence In RiparianManagement and it earned a 2009Environmental Award for itsHinkle Creek participation.Current President and CEO AllynFord, son of founder Kenneth,oversees the company’s efforts.

Lykes Bros. Heirs615,000 acresDIVERSIFIED

Now a century old, this family-owned company began as a cattleranching operation and has sincediversified to maximize its impres-sive land holdings. Today’s cattleoperation, located just west of LakeOkeechobee, Florida, is one of thefive largest in the country. TheSouth Florida forestry division features 11,000 acres of eucalyptus,making it one of the largest pro-ducers in the continental U.S., aswell as 52,000 acres of native andplanted pine. Lykes Bros. also has a significant farming operation,with over 3,000 acres of sugar cane.Then there is bioenergy; the LykesRanch in Florida has a hand in acommercial-scale cellulosic ethanolfacility, that is on schedule to be the first in the state that will convert renewable grasses to fuel.Additionally, the company’s WestWater Hole Project is helping torestore the region’s ecosystem. Thefamily owns one of the mostrugged ranches in the Lone StarState, the O2 in Far West Texas.

Huber Family600,000 acresDIVERSIFIED

The company founded by J.M.Huber has energy and timber holdings nationwide. Its oil and gas division operates propertiesthroughout the West andSouthwest, and its timber unit hasholdings in Maine, Oklahoma, and the Southeast. Today, thefourth generation of the familymanages one of the largest family-owned companies in the UnitedStates. It has been acclaimed for itsenvironmental commitments; iteven has its own strict scale tomeasure against, called the HuberEnvironmental Performance Index.Fifteen years ago, the companypartnered with The NatureConservancy to create Adopt-A-Preserve.

Briscoe Family560,000 acresRANCHING

Former Texas Governor DolphBriscoe Jr., who passed away onJune 27 [see page 64], made aseamless transition from his political career to focus fully on hisfamily and the land. Dolph BriscoeSr. began the family’s landowninglegacy with several ranches acrossthe state. Dolph Briscoe Jr. becamea well-respected statesman whowas the first governor to serve afour-year term. He was also elected president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle RaisersAssociation. He kept in touch with the political world fromUvalde, even hosting HillaryRodham Clinton when she came to seek his endorsement for herhusband during the Texas primaryin 1996. Over the years, he solddrilling leases after oil and gas were discovered on his ranchlandand used the proceeds to expandhis holdings. His heirs includeDolph Briscoe III, Janey BriscoeMarmion, and Cele BriscoeCarpenter.

W.T. Waggoner Estate526,000 acresRANCHING & FARMING

Waggoner Ranch is still the largestranch in Texas under one fence.The iconic empire traces its rootsback to the 1870s, when DanWaggoner began buying parcels asthey were cleared for settlement.W.T. expanded his father’s ranchinginterests and established what isknown today as the W.T.Waggoner Estate. The ranch’s cattleoperation runs 14,000 mothercows. Horses are bred for workingthe cattle, and many carry thebloodline of the famous PocoBueno, who was buried in a standing position under a 4-tongranite marker across from theranch entrance. About 27,000 acres of wheat, oats, and milo are also grown.

Holland Ware500,000 acresTIMBER

Each year another major landown-er is uncovered who should havebeen on our list since its inception.This year, that honor belongs toHolland Ware, who is credited asthe largest private individuallandowner east of the Mississippi.His approximately half a millionacres are primarily timberland.They stretch from Virginia to EastTexas. A hands-on owner, Wareenjoys managing his holdings personally; he has no forest management staff. And why shouldhe? He’s been trading timber sincehe was 15. The Georgia nativebought his first 100 acres for $10an acre in the early 1950s. Hebegan growing sawlogs fromloblolly pine, despite the fact thatlocal farmers thought he was crazyto “waste” good farmland that way.Ware still has his first 100 acres,which he has never cut, and localshave since stopped regarding himas anything but savvy. His successin timberland has fueled numerousphilanthropic efforts, which

include funding cancer researchfacilities and college scholarships.His donations, both monetary andland-based, have made a significantimpact in eliminating dogfightingin the Southeast, and his contribu-tions have directly saved the livesof thousands of animals. Warehelped to establish a national dogfighting tip line (877-215-2250)and is a major patron of humanesocieties and other animal welfarecharities across the country.

D.M. O’Connor Heirs500,000 acresENERGY & RANCHING

Thomas O’Connor has been credited as the youngest soldier tofollow Gen. Sam Houston at theBattle of San Jacinto. He turned theland he was awarded into a SouthTexas cattle ranching empire. Hisheirs have capitalized on theirholdings, which were perched atopmassive oil reserves. The currentgeneration of O’Connors continuesto reside in and around Victoria,Texas, and they share ownership of an estimated half-million acres.

Phillip Anschutz434,493 acresDIVERSIFIED

The ultra-private billionaire knowshow to leverage opportunities to hisbenefit. When an oilfield fire threat-ened to ruin him in the 1960s, he

contracted with Universal Picturesto film a scene in which firefightersextinguish an oil blaze for JohnWayne’s movie Hellfighters.Anschutz’s holdings include the250,000-acre Baughman Farms inKansas, the 149,493-acre OverlandTrail Cattle Company & Ranch inWyoming, and 35,000 acres inColorado. His AnschutzCorporation has investments inenergy exploration and production,real estate, ranching and agricul-ture, telecommunications, news-papers, and Internet publishing.Anschutz Entertainment Group is the world’s largest owner andoperator of sports and entertain-ment venues. Most recently, his American Railway Explorerannounced plans for cross-countryluxury train tours.

Robert Earl Holding 400,000 RANCHING

Holding’s ranches in Wyoming andMontana are just the tip of thesnow-covered mountain for thisbillionaire. He also ownsSnowbasin Resort in Utah and SunValley Ski Resort in Idaho, whereHollywood royalty have schussedsince it opened in the 1930s. Inaddition, he owns six other luxuryhotels and resorts across the coun-try, including The Grand AmericanHotel (the only Five Diamond hotel

in Salt Lake City). Lastly, he ownsSinclair Oil Corporation, the iconicAmerican energy company with an instantly recognizable green-and-white dinosaur logo.

Simplot Family355,746 acresAGRIBUSINESS

J.R. “Jack” Simplot turned a half-interest in a potato sorter into anagricultural empire. “He was adreamer and a big thinker,” sayscompany spokesman David Cuoio.The J.R. Simplot Company basedits fortune on potatoes but diversified over the years, gobblingup large tracts of land across thecountry for farming and ranchingendeavors. Today the family-owned company runs a land andlivestock division that operates 37farms and 15 ranches with capacityfor 30,000 mother cows.

East Family 350,000 acresRANCHING

Alice Gertrudis Kleberg East wassaid to have borne a strikingresemblance to her grandfather,Captain Richard King (see No. 7).She certainly inherited his fierceindependent spirit; she gave up her interest in the legendary KingRanch in the 1950s in return forthe San Antonio Viejo and Santa Fe ranches. The Robert C. East

Management Trust has been managing the land since RobertEast passed away in 2007.

Anne Marion345,000 acresRANCHING

Samuel “Burk” Burnett establishedFour Sixes in 1870, and its legacyhas grown to make it one of themost renowned ranches in theTexas Panhandle. The fourth-generation heir of Burnett, AnneW. Marion runs the 245,000-acre6666 Ranch today, along with100,000 acres at Dixon Creek. The6666 is acclaimed for its immensecow-calf operation and its QuarterHorse remuda (the ranch played a key role in the development ofthe American Quarter HorseAssociation). Most recently, theranch’s Smart Whiskey Doc wasnamed 2010 AQHA VersatilityRanch World Champion.

Lyda Family320,035 acresRANCHING

The family’s La Escalera Ranchsprawls across five Texas counties,making it one of the largest cattleranches in the Lone Star State.Although the ranch is best knownfor its Black Angus herd, the Lydasare also establishing it as an opera-tion with environmental commonsense thanks to new water distribu-

tion systems, brush control pro-grams, and irrigated farmland. Towit, the ranch is featured in theBBC/Discovery Channel documen-tary “Around the World in 90Minutes,” shown on Discovery’sPlanet Green channel.

Patrick Broe310,000 acresDIVERSIFIED

Broe keeps his personal and busi-ness affairs extremely private andhas flown under our radar untilthis year. His investment and assetmanagement company is known to own or control well over 100 companies in real estate, energy,and transportation. In addition,Broe owns ranches and farms inColorado, Wyoming, and NewMexico. His Hubble and GreenRanches in New Mexico alonecover 290,000 acres. One of hismore visible projects is Colorado’sGreat Western Industrial Park inWindsor, which became a majorsource of the state’s green jobgrowth in 2008. Broe has demonstrated a devoted stewardship of land, wildlife, andhistorical artifacts on his Wyomingranch; he undertook a reforestationproject that planted more than500,000 trees that were customgrown to meet the unique altitude and climate conditions of the locale.

Fasken Family300,000 acresENERGY

The Texas town of Fasken neverreally took off as David Fasken hadhoped it might. He founded it in1916 next to the Midland andNorthwestern Railway line so hecould transport his cattle. However,when oil was struck on Fasken’s CRanch in the 1940s, his heirs werethrilled with its location. The family’s Fasken Oil & Ranch Ltd. is headquartered in Midland, andtheir holdings spread across FarWest Texas and South Texas.

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Traditional ways combine with forward-thinkingpractices on the Lydas’ La Escalera Ranch.No. 23

TREY LYDA

No. 15 Poco Bueno’s memorialat the Waggoner Ranch.

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The Collins Family295,313 acresTIMBER

More than 150 years ago, T.D.Collins began his timber opera-tions in Pennsylvania. Over theyears and through the generations,the operation moseyed westwardto southern Oregon and northernCalifornia. Since 1940, the CollinsCompanies has been committed tosustainability (decades before goinggreen was cool). Today, the fourth-generation descendants are activelyinvolved with the company. TerryCollins is the forester for the fami-ly’s Almanor Forest and presidentof Collins Timber, Cherida CollinsSmith is chair of the board of TheCollins Companies, and TrumanCollins is president of the CollinsFoundation. 27

Jeff Bezos290,000 acresSPACE EXPLORATION

The Amazon.com founder JeffBezos, inspired by the wide openWest Texas skies he rememberedfrom boyhood summers on hisgrandfather’s ranch, began pur-chasing large tracts of land in thearea about seven years ago.Ranchers were a bit surprisedwhen their new neighbor explainedwhy: He was building a spaceportfor his private sub-orbital spaceexploration venture, Blue Origin.Last year, the company was award-ed $3.7 million in funding fromNASA for development of futurehuman spaceflight operations.Tests fights have launched success-fully at Bezos’s Corn Ranch, andthere are plans to launchunmanned flights next year, withmanned flights in 2012.28

Collier Family280,000 acresDIVERSIFIED

The family’s Collier Enterprisesencompasses an agriculture divi-sion whose foundation reachesback to 1922, when patriarch

Barron Gift Collier purchased a200-acre grapefruit grove on theedge of Florida’s Big CypressSwamp. Today, holdings includeorange groves, cattle ranches, andvegetable farms throughout south-west Florida. The Colliers havelong been advocates of environ-mental stewardship, water conser-vation, and ecosystem manage-ment programs. Affiliates of thefamily company are currentlyinvolved in researching and pro-ducing salt- and drought-resistantturf grass.29

Babbitt Ranches270,000 acresRANCHING

Brothers David and Billy Babbittarrived in Arizona from Cincinnatiin 1886 and purchased 1,200 headof cattle, the start of a ranching tra-dition that continues to this day.Fourth-generation descendant BillyCordasco oversees operations,which include the CO Bar, TheEspee, and the Cataract Ranches,land that encompasses theCoconino Plateau Natural ReserveLands. In addition to an impressivecow-calf operation (Babbitt isamong the few remaining large-scale ranches in the state to runstraight Hereford), the ranches pro-duce Quarter Horses, which aresold every July in the HashknifeHorse colt sale.

30Jones Heirs255,000 acresRANCHING

The family’s South Texas ranchingheritage began in 1897 whenWilliam Whitby Jones purchased6,000 acres that were once part of aSpanish land grant. Four genera-tions later, A.C. Jones IV owns andmanages Jones Ranch LLC, whoseholdings include the Alta VistaRanch, Alta Colorado Ranch, andBorregos Ranch. Jones serves onthe advisory board of the CaesarKleberg Wildlife Research Instituteand is a director for the Texas and

Southwestern Cattle RaisersAssociation, among other founda-tion and association activities.

31True Family255,000 acresRANCHING

H.A. True Jr. started the family for-tune with an oil drilling companyin Wyoming. In the 50 years sincethen, the True Companies haveexpanded to include multiple firms,most of which are in the petroleumindustry. True Ranches began in1957 when True and his wife, Jean,purchased the Double Four Ranchnear Laramie Peak. Today, the family’s ranching division includesseven ranches, two farms, and twofeedlots, which run Angus, BlackBaldy, Charolais, and Hereford.

Reynolds Family250,000 acresRANCHING

George T. and William D. Reynoldsseem to have established rancheswherever they drove their cattle.And in the mid- to late-1800s, theydrove cattle far and wide. TheirReynolds Cattle Company and itsfamous Long X brand was themark for ranches in Texas, NewMexico, Arizona, Montana, andNorth Dakota. The family gifted acollection of records to Texas TechUniversity’s Southwest CollectionLibrary.

33Mike Smith248,500 acresFARMLAND

In the Texas Panhandle, the viewscan stretch for miles on end inevery direction, and chances arepretty good that much of the landin sight belongs to Mike Smith ofAmarillo. The founder of TejasTrading, a full-service futures andoptions trading firm, has graduallyacquired large tracts of farmlandand grassland throughout theregion. Much of Smith’s land is used for grazing cattle or recreational pursuits.

34 D.K. Boyd243,437 acresENERGY

“We run a fully stocked cattle operation,” notes D.K. Boyd of hisFrying Pan Ranch in Texas andNew Mexico and his LE Ranch inNew Mexico, “but we don’t justranch.” In addition to dealing inother types of real estate aroundthe country, the Midland-basedrancher has dedicated himself toaiding other landowners. “We haveworked diligently on a private levelto help people understand theirsurface and mineral rights—hun-dreds of people that we share com-mon interests with,” he says. He hasperfected techniques in surfaceprotection, restoration, right ofway, and easement structuring,which have become benchmarksfor many oil and gas companies. “Ifwe don’t start working harder, usand our neighbors, to better under-stand and protect our propertyrights, the encroachment of gov-ernment and others will impactour ability to protect, benefit from,and enjoy our land.”

35Scott Family220,000 acresRANCHING & FARMING

Homer and Mildred Scott estab-lished Padlock Ranch on 3,000acres in 1943. Today, the family’sranch sprawls across 500,000 acres(220,000 deeded) in Wyoming andMontana. The Padlock is a workingcattle ranch with working ranchvacations, meaning guests areallowed to act as ranch hands, gath-ering and moving cattle. “We gaugethat on their abilities,” PadlockRanch Controller Steve Severe sayswryly. The ranch also offers wingshooting, and its farmland pro-duces hay, corn, and barley.

36Koch Family230,000 acresRANCHING

“Ranching has officially been part ofthe Koch organization for nearly 70

years,” says Randy Lair, president ofthe Koch family company that oper-ates 400,000 acres (230,000 deeded)in Kansas, Montana, and Texas.“Unofficially, our ranching rootsreach back to 1891, when newspa-per publisher Harry Koch settled inQuanah, Texas.” Harry wrote aboutcattle drives and rustlers andlamented the end of the open range.His son Fred co-founded KochIndustries and purchased his firstranchland in Kansas in 1941. Lateracquisitions included the MatadorRanch in Texas and the BeaverheadRanch in Montana. Today, the com-pany is primarily owned by Charlesand David Koch, Fred’s sons. TheMontana ranch was the first to earninternational certification from theWildlife Habitat Council and theTexas ranch was recently named the2010 Lone Star Land Steward byTexas Parks & Wildlife. “The Kochfamily has long had a true love ofthe land and a steadfast commit-ment to environmental steward-ship,” adds Lair.

37Roxana Hayne & Joan Kelleher213,370 acresRANCHING

Sisters Hayne and Kelleher aregranddaughters of Alfred S. Gage,who built a legendary ranch in FarWest Texas that once totaled500,000 acres. Today they own thelargest portion of the A.S. GageRanch and are partners in SanAntonio-based Paisano Cattle Co.

38 Cassidy Heirs212,985 acresTIMBER

The family’s Cassidy Timberlandshelped define Bangor, Maine, eversince John Cassidy built his fortunein timberlands, mills, and otherreal estate in the mid-1800s. Thispast spring, Fogler Library and theBangor Historical Societyannounced they had acquired thefamily’s papers—calling it one ofthe most important sources docu-menting the history and economyof the region in the late 19th andearly 20th centuries.

39Irwin Heirs210,000 acres RANCHING

John Irwin III now manages thefamily’s historic O RO Ranch out-side Prescott, Arizona, a sprawling,rocky spread that was originallypart of a Spanish land grant. Thefamily is also reported to ownanother 60,000 acres in California.Irwin is also managing director ofThe Brookside Group, which heco-founded, as well as president ofThe Fresh Air Fund and treasurerof the Wildlife ConservationSociety.

40Louis Moore Bacon202,000 acresCONSERVATION

A successful hedge fund manager,this dedicated conservationistincreased his land portfolio earlierthis year when he acquired the

historic Orton Plantation in NorthCarolina. Bacon is a direct descen-dant of Roger Moore, who built theoriginal Orton residence in 1725and then the plantation home itself in 1735. Bacon also owns the sprawling Trinchera Ranch inColorado and Robins Island andCow Neck Farm in New York.

41Langdale Family200,000 acresTIMBER

When John Langdale, founder ofthe family’s Langdale ForestProducts, passed away in 1911, hebequeathed 5,000 acres to his heirs.Through the years, his descendantshave expanded their holdingsthroughout Georgia, investing primarily in timberland. The family’s acreage shrunk by 40,000acres since last year’s rankings due to a settlement with minority shareholders.

42Killam Family200,000 acresENERGY & RANCHING

Family patriarch O.W. Killam wasan Oklahoma state senator whosought his fortune in South Texas.He found it, and then some, whenhe became the first wildcatter tostrike oil south of San Antonio. Hepurchased the Ortiz Ranch, whichis now known as the Killam LaredoRanch. The family has increased its holdings by adding the DuvalCounty Ranch. Both ranches boastworld-class whitetail hunting.

43 Eugene Gabrych200,000 acresFARMING & RANCHING

Gabrych is an astute self-made millionaire who uses his substantialholdings in a variety of farming and ranching pursuits in the West.“In Nevada we grow a lot of alfalfa,and we also grow Bermuda grass,sugar beets, and wheat. We try different things each year,” he says. “I also have a hunting ranch inCalifornia—the best hunting ranchin California.” At Gabrych’s 18,200-acre Rock Springs Ranch,game ranges from quail, chukar,and pheasant to elk, deer, and feral hogs.

44Bogle Family192,000 acresFARMING & RANCHING

Bogle Ltd. was formed by HalBogle’s heirs after he passed awayin 1973. In the decades since, thefamily has operated this impressivecollection of farms and ranches in New Mexico. Crops raised on5,000 acres in the Pecos Valleyinclude alfalfa, hay, corn, and winter wheat, which is used to pasture yearlings. The ranchingdivision runs its cattle on the X-Bar, Turkey Track, and 4-Lakes.The Bogles also continue Hal’s tradition of breeding fine QuarterHorses, with two broodmare bandsof up to 25 mares each.

45Hunt Family190,000 acresRANCHING

The same family of Hunt Oil fameowns several sizable spreads inNew Mexico, Montana, Utah,Wyoming, and Texas through itsHoodoo Land & Cattle Company.The Hunt family’s long-term strategy is to hold these large tractsof open land for future real estatedevelopment or mineral explo-ration. In the meantime, its fivefarms and ranches raise cattle and horses and produce vegetables,citrus, grains, and sugar.

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Tim Blixseth189,000 acresTIMBER & DEVELOPMENT

Entrepreneur Tim Blixseth madehis name and his first fortune bybuying and selling timber and tim-berland. His next was built aroundthe Yellowstone Club, a private,ultra-exclusive golf and ski com-munity in Montana. Today, hefocuses on high-end real estatetransactions through his Nevada-based Desert Ranch partnership.

47Bidegain Family180,000 acresRANCHING

“It’s been in the family since 1902,”says Phil Bidegain of the family’sT4 Cattle Company. “We run acow-calf operation with about2,500 mother cows.” The T4 alsobreeds Quarter Horses, a programthat Phil’s wife, Laurie, oversees.The couple’s two sons are activelyinvolved as well: Donnie operates

the farming division; Scott helpsmanage the cattle operation.

48Williams Family180,000 acresRANCHING

What’s not to love about the family’s Pitchfork Land & CattleCompany’s home ranch outsideGuthrie, Texas? It’s a working cattleranch that runs primarily Black andBlack Baldy. Its legendary remudaboasts the ranch’s signaturePitchfork Gray. It’s open for huntingwhitetail deer, wild turkey, andvarmints. And thanks to its locationin the Tannehill sands, it’s producedmillions of barrels of oil. If the fami-ly’s satellite operation in Oklahomagets jealous, it’s easy to see why.

49Russell Gordy170,129 acresENERGY & HUNTING

Houston oil and gas tycoon Gordyowns Rock Creek Ranch, whichoffers exotic game hunting in

Texas, and Lone Star Land &Cattle Company in Wyoming. Herecently attempted to swap over16,000 acres of deeded land inWyoming for roughly 14,000 acresof state trust lands. Gordy’s aimwas to consolidate his spread-outholdings. Opponents argued thathe would be restricting publicaccess for hunters while developinga lucrative outfitting business forhimself. The proposed swap wasultimately withdrawn.

50Broadbent Family170,000 acresRANCHING

Rancher Joseph Ray “J.R.”Broadbent built up one of thelargest sheep and cattle operationsin the country. Upon his death,daughter Colleen BroadbentPaddock and sons Joseph and Rayassumed control of BroadbentGrazing Association and still oversee operations in California,Utah, and Wyoming.

McCoy Family170,000 acresRANCHING

The Texas-based family owns bothMcCoy’s Building Supply (run byBrian McCoy) and McCoy RemmeRanches (run by Kaare and BrendaMcCoy Remme). The ranches,which are located in the DavisMountains of Far West Texas, utilize remote monitoring stationsto monitor grazing conditions forcow-calf operations.

52Sugg Family166,655 acresRANCHING

San Angelo’s Sugg family operatescattle ranches in West Texas, andone of their fields in Irion Countyis dotted with oil and gas wells. Inone of the most interesting meth-ods of green ranching we’ve comeacross, Suzanne Sugg uses naturallyshed deer horns from the family’s7D Ranch as accents on her hand-made totes.

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53 Bob Funk163,363 acresRANCHING

Funk’s holdings total 177,106 acres;13,000 are leased land. His ExpressRanches are headquartered inYukon, Oklahoma, where the watertower proclaims it hometown ofGarth Brooks. But Funk’s heraldedAngus and Limousin have madethe ranch famous in its own right.The Express is one of the largestseedstock operations in the U.S.,and guests at a recent LimousinProduction Sale included singerMickey Gilley, Cincinnati Bengalssafety Roy Williams, and formerMiss America Jennifer Berry.

54Kokernot Heirs163,166 acresRANCHING

At its height, the Kokernot 06Ranch spread across 288,000 acresin Far West Texas, including theDavis Mountains. Founded in 1837by David L. Kokernot, it has beenin the family ever since. David’sgreat-grandson Chris Lacy tookover managing the 06 in 1971 andcontinues to run it today. Thanks tothe ranch’s mountainous terrain, 16 cowboys and a remuda of over100 horses work roundups twice a year.

55Benjamin W. Griffith III161,644 acresTIMBER

Benjy Griffith, as he is known tofriends, founded Southern PinePlantations in Georgia over 25years ago. It was his love for landthat led to his success in timber-land; he believes in timber as agrowing asset that provides envi-ronmental and social benefits. Hisholdings spread across Georgia,South Carolina, Florida, Virginia,Tennessee, Texas, and Montana.“These properties provide not onlytimber, but also clean air, cleanwater, wildlife habitats, recreationalopportunities, and carbon seques-tration,” Griffith says.

Cogdell Family160,000 acresRANCHING

D.M. Cogdell founded Tule Ranch50 years ago, and today his fourchildren run its cattle and QuarterHorse operations. “Daddy alwayssaid land was a good investmentbecause the Good Lord probablywon’t make any more of it,” saysdaugther Penny Cogdell Carpenter.“We have every intention of takingcare of the land that takes care of us so we can pass it on.”

57Leo Drey160,000 acresCONSERVATION

Missouri’s Pioneer Forest, ownedby the not-for-profit L-A-DFoundation, originated when St.Louis businessman and conserva-tionist Leo Drey began acquiringMissouri land in 1951. In 1954 hisholdings grew after a foresterwarned Drey that NationalDistillers was planning to clear cutthousands of acres of white oak inthe Ozarks. Drey purchased those90,000 acres and other forestedland. In July of 2004 Drey donatedfee title to nearly 140,000 acres tothe foundation.

58Eddy Family160,000 acresTIMBER

Port Blakely Companies in thePacific Northwest has been privately owned by the Eddy familysince 1864, and is made up of fourseparate businesses. This year, itsPort Blakely Tree Farms receivedan environmental excellence awardfrom a Washington state organiza-tion for implementing the state’sfirst voluntary safe harbor agree-ment, which will create thousandsof acres of protected habitat fortwo federally listed wildlife species.In exchange for entering into the60-year agreement, the Port BlakelyTree Farms received assurancesagainst the imposition of futureregulatory restrictions.

Ellison Family158,396 acresRANCHING

The historic Spanish Ranch and 71Ranch are the crown jewels of theEllison Ranching Company. The 71is a working cattle ranch in Nevadathat also offers the chance forguests to ride with the crew as theywork the herd.

and efforts such as Evergladesrestoration. “I love land so mucheven my hobbies revolve aroundland. I spend every free weekend atAmistad, my 2,500-acre privateshooting preserve,” says J. PepeFanjul, company vice chairman,president, and chief operating offi-cer. “Amistad was honored with theFlorida Agriculture Board’s award

Clayton and ModestaWilliams cherish theirtime spent with familyand friends on theirranches.

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Clayton and Modesta Williams Jr.157,375 acresENERGY

Clayton Williams Jr. made his namein the natural gas industry withClayton Williams Energy Inc. He isstill chairman, president, and chiefexecutive officer of the companyjust as he was when he took it public in 1991. He and his wife,Modesta, are devoted ranchers,with land spreading across sixcounties in Far West Texas.

61Fanjul Family155,000 acresAGRIBUSINESS

Headquartered in Palm BeachCounty, the Fanjul family’s privatelyowned Florida Crystals is the first(and only) domestic producer ofcertified organic sugar. The compa-ny has a tradition of proactivelypursuing eco-friendly productioninnovations and has worked tire-lessly on sustainability initiatives

of excellence for the way we envi-ronmentally manage the land. Thisrecognition was truly special to me,because Amistad is the namesakeof one of our family’s ranches in myhome country Cuba that was lostafter the Communist takeover.”

62Hearst Family153,000 acresRANCHING

Hearst Ranch is a purveyor of 100percent grass-fed beef and lamb,along with other gourmet foods,sauces, and olive oils. The familyraises its cattle on the PiedraBlanca Rancho, which surroundsHearst Castle and is one of thelargest working ranches on theCalifornia coast, and the JackRanch in Cholame, whose Circle C brand is the oldest registeredbrand in the state in use today. TheHearsts focus on well-managedgrazing and put together one of the largest land conservation easements in the state’s history.

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The Fanjul family has strong ties to the land: today, inFlorida, and in generations past, in Cuba. “I love land somuch even my hobbies revolve around land,” says J. PepeFanjul, who adds, “I spend every free weekend atAmistad, my 2,500-acre private shooting preserve.”

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Emily Garvey Bonavia150,000 acresRANCHING & TIMBER

Emily Garvey Bonavia took thereigns of the family’s privately heldNevada First Corporation in 1993,including its ranching and timberoperations, and she still runs ittoday with the help of sonNicholas. Since last year, saysGarvey Bonavia, “I bought land in Oregon and sold some otherpieces.” Reports Nevada FirstPresident Gary Bengochea, thefamily sold farmland in Nevada,and their holdings today includearound 130,000 acres in Nevadaand approximately 20,000 inOregon.

64Bass Family150,000 acresDIVERSIFIED

In Texas, where everything seemslarger than life, the Bass name isone of the state’s biggest. PatriarchSid Williams Richardson’s fourgreat-nephews (Sid, Ed, Richard,and Lee) are all on the Forbes 400,and the family’s holdings encom-pass land throughout the state. All eyes will be on one particularproperty this coming January:ESPN chose the Bass-developedSundance Square in Fort Worth as its production headquarters forSuper Bowl XLV at CowboysStadium.

65Boswell Family150,000 acresAGRIBUSINESS

James Griffin Boswell founded thefamily’s farming company inCalifornia’s San Joaquin Valley, buthis nephew James G. Boswell getsthe credit for building the family’sempire. He tripled the amount ofland he inherited from his uncleand pioneered methods forincreasing the farm’s cotton pro-duction. Upon his death in 2009,son James W. Boswell took over asCEO of the J.G. Boswell Company.The “family farm” is estimated to

be the country’s largest cotton producer and one of the largesttomato growers. It also growswheat, sunflowers, and safflowers.

66William Henry Green Heirs150,000 acresRANCHING

The first herd that William HenryGreen bought in the 1870s werebranded with a J, so he adopted itas his own symbol. Today, the cat-tle on Green Ranch still carry the Jbrand. Billy Green, WilliamHenry’s grandson, manages thecow-calf and stocker cattle opera-tion. The ranch’s prized horses all hail from its own award-winningbroodmare band.

67Gerald J. Ford144,580 acresDIVERSIFIED

Ford’s Rio Hondo Land & CattleCompany sits in New Mexico’sHondo Valley, about halfwaybetween Roswell and Ruidoso.Hunts are offered on the propertyfor desert mule deer, elk, aoudad,antelope, and turkey. Ford alsoowns Diamond A Farms inVersailles, Kentucky, home of hisDiamond A Racing, whose DevilMay Care finished 10th in thisyear’s Kentucky Derby.

68Mike Mechenbier142,000 acresRANCHING

This second-generation NewMexican rancher has three adjoin-ing properties: the Four DaughtersRanch, the Dockery-Collins Ranch,and the Pie Ranch. Mechenbier andhis wife, Kathleen, founded thecharity Los Niños and establishedEl Ranchito de los Niños, a non-profit long-term home for children,especially groups of siblings, whosefamilies are unable to care for them.

69Harrison Family140,000 acresHORSES

“Harrison Quarter Horses contin-ues to breed the finest quality forbarrels, poles, team, calf roping,performance halter, and manyother disciplines,” says RanchManager Rosemary Harrison.“We’ve been keeping the legendalive since 1941.” That’s the yearD.J. Harrison first registered hishorses with the American QuarterHorse Association, whichbestowed him and his son Dan J.Harrison with the Legacy Award.

70Thomas Lane140,000 acresRANCHING

Lane runs seven livestock opera-tions, all in Montana, with the helpof his sons. “We’re trying to keepthis land open,” Lane says. “Wehaven’t subdivided it and don’t plan to.” It’s been his philosophysince he purchased his first half-section in 1954.

71Wells Family140,000 acresDIVERSIFIED

Brothers Preston and John Wellsbuilt up their holdings in the 1930s,including the Riverside Hotel on Las Olas Boulevard in FortLauderdale. Today, Preston’s grand-daughter Barbara Wells is the soleowner of the family’s Las OlasCompany. In 2009, the company’spresident, Irving Bowen, was firedand Wells filed suit to also have

him removed from the board oftrustees of the family’s trusts—formismanagement of funds that created a “financial crisis.” At presstime, Wells is not believed to havesold significant tracts of land toovercome that crisis.

72Tom Siebel135,000 acresAGRIBUSINESS

If Siebel’s name sounds familiar,that’s because he founded SiebelSystems (which he sold five yearsago to Oracle). He now chairs FirstVirtual Group, which has opera-tions in agribusiness, real estate,and global investments. He alsochairs the Siebel Foundation, whichhas donated $200 million to educa-tion, human health, and fightingpoverty. In Montana, the locationof his Dearborn and N Bar ranch-es, he started the Meth Project tofight meth abuse. Credit Siebelwith helping to reduce use of thedrug by 63 percent. The projecthas subsequently expanded to eight states.

73Isaac Ellwood Heirs130,000 acresRANCHING

The Renderbrook Spade Ranchwas one of the first to be fenced inTexas, which is only fitting since itsfounder, Isaac Ellwood, inventedbarbed wire. Today, in addition tothe Renderbrook, there are five

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more operations in differentregions of the Lone Star State.Isaac’s six great-great-grandchil-dren are on the board of directorsfor Spade Ranches, as the sixranches are known collectively.

74JA Ranch Heirs130,000 acresRANCHING

At one time, the JA Ranch in theTexas Panhandle spanned a millionacres on both sides of Palo DuroCanyon. Today, the oldest ranch inthe Panhandle is run by Cornelia“Ninia” Wadsworth Ritchie, thefourth generation descendant ofJohn Adair, who started the ranchin 1876 with Charles Goodnight. In addition to traditional cattleranching, the JA remuda producesranch horses. There is also a hunt-ing program for deer, aoudad, feralhogs, quail, turkey, and dove.

75Les Davis Heirs128,000 acresRANCHING

Frank Springer founded the CS

Ranch at the base of NorthernNew Mexico’s stunning Sangre deCristo Mountains in 1873, and hisgrandson Les Davis left Dartmouthto join the family operation in1941. Today, Davis’s six childrenrun the ranch together, whichincludes cow-calf operations, ahorse-breeding program, and hunting and outfitting.

76Booth Family125,000RANCHING

Brothers Gary and Mark Boothrun their family’s Booth Land andLivestock Ranch, a cow-calf opera-tion near Laramie, Wyoming.Working with Ranch ManagerNick Speiser, they have improvedtheir range not only for their ownlivestock but also for the wild gamethat call it home, such as elk,pronghorn, and mule deer. Thegroup has implemented waterimprovements and modified fencesto facilitate wildlife movement. Theranch has been lauded by thestate’s Game and Fish Department

for providing public access byenrolling over 45,000 acres in four hunter management areas.

77Brite Ranch Heirs125,000RANCHING

James (Jim) White III runs theBrite Ranch in the CapoteMountains of West Texas. The Bar Cross line-bred Herefords may be the oldest in the U.S., andthe family continues the traditionof ranch founder Luke Brite’s practice of line breeding. The only thing that’s changed since the ranch was founded in 1885may be the limited hunting thefamily allows through CapoteMountain Outfitters, run by James White IV, a fifth-generationmember of the family.

78Crosby Family125,000TIMBER

Crosby Land and Resources wasbrought to our attention this year.We were remiss in overlooking the

largest family-owned, non-indus-trial private timberland company inLouisiana. “We do not own oroperate any converting facilities,”Robert H. Crosby III says modestly.“We're just one big tree farm with afocus on maintaining a healthy andsustainable forest for the benefit ofcurrent and future generations offamily owners.” The privately heldcompany has been operating forover a century in Louisiana andMississippi.

79Drummond Family119,649 acresRANCHING

Things were a bit different whenFrederick Drummond settled thefamily’s ranch in the 1880s. Hiswife didn’t write an award-winningblog similar to the one penned byRee Drummond (check it out atwww.thepioneerwoman.com),which has inspired a movie withReese Witherspoon cast as Ree.No word on who might play herhusband, Ladd, or her brother-in-law Tim, who run the ranch.

In addition to its storied history, TomSiebel’s N Bar Ranch is one of the mostecologically diverse properties in the Westand spans more than 60,000 contiguousacres. Hall and Hall’s Joel Leadbetter hasit listed for $45 million.

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Since 1873, cattle on the CS Ranchhave been worked on horseback.

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KENTON ROWE

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David Murdock117,490 acresFARMING

Murdock’s privately held Castle &Cooke owns 98 percent of Hawaii’sisland of Lana. His Dole FoodCompany owns another 26,000acres on Oahu. Only about 2,700acres of his Oahu land are used tofarm pineapples, however, with asignificant portion leased out foruse as pasture or in forest reserves.Nearly 3,000 acres of farmland andorchards in California round outhis holdings.

81Moursund Family115,000 acresRANCHING

“It’s all working ranchland,” saysWill Stribling Moursund, son ofthe late A.W. Moursund, a nation-ally recognized lawyer and states-man. The family’s holdings includeproperty in Oklahoma, Texas,South Dakota, and Nebraska. The Moursunds run Black Angus cross-bred to Charolais.

82Scharbauer Family113,532 acresENERGY

The Scharbauers made a fortunefrom the oil under their lands, andClarence Scharbauer Jr.’s ValorFarm has produced world-classacehorses such as Alysheba, the1987 Kentucky Derby winner and1988 Horse of the Year. A formerpresident of the American QuarterHorse Association, Scharbauerdonated $25 million to MidlandMemorial Hospital in 2008.

83 Richard & Victoria Evans113,065 acresRANCHING

Former rocket scientist RichardEvans realized his boyhood dreamof living and ranching in the Westwith the Double V Ranch, whichtotals just over 122,000 acresincluding leased and BLM land.Evans and his wife, Victoria, listedthe ranch a few years ago for $26million, but a change of heart (andmarket) put an end to that plan.

84Stan Harper111,420 acresRANCHING

In addition to his land and cattleoperations, Harper, who hails fromNew Mexico, has a Texas-basedauto industry consultancy business.His registered Angus ranch is inVenus, Texas, while his registeredHereford program is based out ofWagon Mound, New Mexico.Harper also raises bison andQuarter Horses. Over the years hehas purchased smaller tracts thatjoin his property and now owns100,000 acres in New Mexico alone,including the Maes Ranch near thehistoric ghost town of Maes.

85Linnebur Family110,000 acresFARMING

Brothers Emmett and LloydLinnebur became partners in farming in their youth, althoughthey decided to separate theirinterests as their families expanded.Both Emmett and Lloyd have sincepassed away, and their descen-

dants, along with their brotherGene, put their lands to use in a variety of ways, including farming.

86 Desiree Moore105,000 acresRANCHING

The Broken O Ranch stretchesbetween Simms and Augusta inMontana. William Moore, co-founded of Kelly-Moore Paints,purchased 62,000 acres in the1980s and then added more. Sincehis passing in 2004, the Broken Ohas continued under the guidanceof his wife, Desiree, and managerDan Freeman.

87Reese Family105,000 acresHUNTING

The Rockin’ 7 Ranch has been inthe Reese family for nearly 100years, and the fourth generationhas crafted it into an impressivedestination for hunters. “TheRockin’ 7 offers a vast acreage ofprivate land, where you will see alot of game without seeing otherhunters,” says Brad Reese.

88Robinson Family103,000 acresSECLUSION

The Hawaiian island of Ni’ihau hasbeen owned by the Robinson family since it was purchased for$10,000 in gold in 1864. Ni’ihau isthe only remaining island whereHawaiian is still spoken as theprimary language. The island is off-limits to tourists except for half-day helicopter tours and hunting safaris offered by theisland’s current owners, brothersBruce and Keith Robinson.

89Milliken Family100,000 acresTIMBER

Roger Milliken Jr. is chairman ofThe Nature Conservancy’s boardof directors, a position he has held since October 2008. He is also a trustee for The Nature

Conservancy in Maine, where hisfamily’s Baskahegan Companyowns and manages 100,000 acres offorestland. The company has beenrecognized for respecting thedynamics of natural systems in itstimber management, and its foresthas been certified by the ForestStewardship Council since 2004.

90John Hampton100,000 acresTIMBER

Bud Hampton started the family-owned Hampton Affiliates withjust one mill in 1935, and todayHampton Lumber Sales is one ofthe largest forest product whole-salers in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to the family’s acreagein Oregon and Washington, theHamptons also manage close to300,000 additional acres in BritishColumbia. Today the third generation of Hamptons, Davidand Jamey, pitch in and help theirfather, John, manage the family’sinternational holdings.91

Beggs Family100,000 acresRANCHING

The much-respected Beggs familyhas holdings across seven countiesin West Texas. Their cow-calfoperations are overseen by thefourth generation of Beggses, andthe family has been honored withthe Charles Goodnight Award andthe American Quarter HorseAssociation’s Legacy Award.

92Powell Heirs100,000 acresRANCHING

One of the Powells’ spreads is theSix Mile Ranch, located six milesoutside Fort McKavett, Texas. The Powells have been breedingHerefords there since 1954; theannual Powell Hereford ProductionSale is now a much-anticipatedevent. Third-generation rancherand Rice alumnus Jimmy Powellhas received many accolades.

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Walter Umphrey100,000 acresRANCHING

The Beaumont attorney, whoseranches are primarily in SouthTexas, is probably best known forbeing a member of the TobaccoFive—the trial lawyers who helpednegotiate the landmark settlementbetween the tobacco industry andthe State of Texas. “I’m a big believ-er in land,” Umphrey says. “Theycan’t burn it, and they can’t steal it.”

94Dennis Washington100,000 acresDIVERSIFIED

Rising from humble beginnings,Montana-based industrialist andentrepreneur Washington is todayone of the Forbes 400. He built asuccessful heavy construction busi-ness that diversified into mining,transportation, heavy equipment,environmental remediation, avia-tion, and real estate development.He and his wife, Phyllis, are alsomajor philanthropists.

Yates Family100,000 acresENERGY & RANCHING

Patriarch Martin Yates Jr. discov-ered the first commercial oil well inNew Mexico, and his sons contin-ued his wildcatting legacy. YatesPetroleum Corporation, with head-quarters in Artesia, is one of thelargest producers of oil and naturalgas in the state. The Yates family’sholdings range across New Mexico,including the Ojo Feliz Ranch.

96Butler Heirs97,389 acresRANCHING

The Fort Union Ranch has been inthe Butler family for over 100years. This New Mexico spreadsurrounds the Fort Union NationalMonument, which stands on landdonated by the family in 1954. Builtto protect the Santa Fe Trail, it wasthe largest fort in the Southwestand played a part in much history,including the Confederate defeat atGlorieta Pass.

Aubrey McClendon97,036 acresENERGY & RANCHING

In 2010, Chesapeake Energy’schairman and CEO decided to sellhis 271 Ranch in the heart ofwhitetail country outside Antlers,Oklahoma. Located farthest fromChesapeake’s Oklahoma City headquarters in Choctaw County,the income-producing cattle ranchwas the property he visited least frequently.

Eshleman-Vogt Family96,000 acresRANCHING

Just outside of the South Texastown of Hebbronville lies theEshleman-Vogt Ranch, a workingcattle ranch with renowned white-tail deer hunting. Thanks to anintensive management program,the ranch has long been a populardestination with sportsmen. TheEshleman-Vogt, says Brian Vogt,“has been in the family since thelate 1880s.”

Joe Finley Jr.89,000 acresRANCHING

At its height, the Callaghan Ranchin South Texas once covered amuch larger area in the range ofapproximately a quarter-millionacres. Down through the decades,acreage was reduced, and today itstands at 89,000. In addition to running cattle, the Callaghan has asubstantial hunting operation withtrophy whitetail deer.

100Millard Morris89,000 acresRANCHING

The Tongue River Ranch, whichMorris bought in 1997, spans fourcounties in the Texas Panhandle.Run as a working cow-calf operation, it’s also known for itsQuarter Horse breeding program.Recently, CBS reporter HarrySmith spent a day at the ranch. The segment aired this summerunder the title “Harry Smith’sDream Job.”

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The Yates family’s fortune is built onNew Mexico’s abundant energyresources and also includes primegrasslands in the southeast portionof the state.

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RENE HEIL

Stan Harper’s cattle operations are based inNorth Texas and Northern New Mexico.No. 84

SHERI RIVERA