Land remains a “safe deposit box with a view” for the ultra-wealthy, according to the publication 2013 Land Report 100, an annual survey and ranking of the largest private landowners in the United States.
It says that in 2012, the country’s top 100 landowners cumulatively increased their private holdings by 700,000 acres to a total of 33 million acres, nearly two per cent of U.S. land mass.
Liberty Media chairman John Malone tops the list with 2.2 million acres, edging out CNN founder Ted Turner, who has more than two million.
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Rounding out the top five in order were the Emmerson family, Brad Kelley and Canada’s Irving family.
The report says this year Stan Kroenke elevated his position from No. 10 to No. 8 after his recent purchase of the historic Broken O Ranch, described nationally as “one of the largest agricultural operations in the Rocky Mountain West.” Kroenke also owns the 540,000-acre Q Creek Ranch, the largest contiguous ranch in the Rocky Mountains.
New additions to the top 100 list included No. 28, Dan and Farris Wilks, billionaire brothers who recently purchased more than 400 square miles of land, mostly in the eastern half of Montana. The Wilks brothers, oilfield services entrepreneurs, own the prized N Bar Ranch in Montana, which is known for its wildlife and fishery resources.
Another new addition is No. 96, Arthur Nicholas. The co-founder of Nicholas Investment Properties owns Wyoming’s historic Wagonhound Land and Livestock, an AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeder.
The report can be downloaded at http://fayranches.com/blog/2013/10/01/2013-land-report-100-sponsored-fay-ranches.
