Endless miles of vast land stretch as far as the eye can see, but only a few families own much of it. Almost half of all American farmland is owned by people who don’t actually farm themselves. Many of these wealthy families make their fortunes in the lumber and forest industry, with millions of acres in timberland throughout the Pacific Northwest.
The largest landowners run cattle operations and farms throughout the Great Plains and the West. Some ranches include land leased from the state or government for cattle grazing, while others offer oil and gas revenue. Traditionally, family members hold onto their property through generations, which is why the top 100 landowners control a great majority of the country’s ranches.
Every year, the industry stalwart The Land Report releases its Top 100 list of America’s leading landowners. This year’s list features America’s largest landowner, Red Emmerson. Along with his family (sons George and Mark), he owns 2,411,000 acres in California, Oregon, and Washington with the leading timber-products company, Sierra Pacific Industries.
Once the Emmerson’s acquired Oregon timberland in 2021, they moved ahead of cable magnate John Malone’s 2,200,000 acres. CNN founder Ted Turner is currently America’s third largest landowner, with 2 million acres in the Southeast, on the Great Plains, and across the West.
Younger land investors are jumping in this year with a new crop under 50 years old. “Major moves by independent investors stood out in this year’s Land Report 100,” says Eric O’Keefe, Editor of the Land Report. “Tianqiao Chen (50) joined the Land Report 100 at No. 82 with 198,000 acres. Shannon Kizer (28) added 34,000 acres to move up to No. 24, and Stefan Soloviev (48) increased his holdings to 535,000 acres when he bought the LE Ranch. That puts him at No. 21 on the list.”
The selection of the Top 100 is a lengthy process with a research team analyzing transactions and records to determine America’s leading landowners. That’s how they broke the news in 2020: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was America’s largest farmland owner, with more than 260,000 acres. This year, they also identified Chinese gaming billionaire Tianqiao Chen owning almost 200,000 acres of Oregon timberland.
Among the most recognizable landowners from the Top 100 list are Jeff Bezos (420,000), Bill Gates (275,000), and Taylor Sheridan (265,000). For the complete list, visit The Land Report. Here are the Top 20 from the exhaustive list of landowners in the U.S.
Emmerson Family (2,411,000 acres)
With massive landholdings in California, Oregon, and Washington, the Emmerson family owns and sustainably manages more than 2.4 million acres of timberland. Through their forest-products company, Sierra Pacific Industries, they are among the largest US producers of lumber, millwork, windows, and renewable energy. They prioritize creating quality wood products, rural job opportunities, wildfire-resilient forests, wildlife habitats, and recreational spaces.
John Malone (2,200,000)
Cable/sports billionaire magnate John Malone (Liberty Media, Atlanta Braves, Formula 1) has landholdings in Wyoming, New Mexico, Florida, and Colorado. The Malone Family Land Preservation Foundation supports the mission of The Land Institute. Since its founding in 1976, the Salina, Kansas-based nonprofit has been dedicated to science-based research and developing food-production methods that sustain the land and the soil.
According to Land Report, “The Institute’s Perennial Agriculture Project, led by a team of plant breeders and ecologists in multiple partnerships worldwide, is a paradigm shift that focuses on developing perennial grains, pulses, and oilseed-bearing plants to be grown in ecologically intensified, diverse crop mixtures known as perennial polycultures. Such a production system mimics the benefits found in native and natural ecosystems.”
Ted Turner (2,000,000)
Billionaire cable guru Ted Turner is best known for founding CNN and controls vast land holdings in Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and New Mexico. His Vermejo Park Ranch has led the way in regenerative tourism. Ted Turner Reserves, oversees a network of luxury New Mexico hospitality properties, which include 1.1 million acres across the Land of Enchantment. The Turner Foundation Inc, is dedicated to protecting and restoring America’s natural environments.