The Land Report 100
No. 1 John Malone
2,200,000 acres
Leslie and John Malone acquired Florida’s historic Bridlewood Farm in August 2013. More than 100 stakes winners have been bred and raised under the Bridlewood name, including the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Smarty Jones. That tradition not only continues under the Malones stewardship but was embellished when Tapwrit won the 2017 Belmont Stakes. Not only did the Tapit colt train at Bridlewood, but the Malones own a share of the stakes winner. “We’re approaching retirement age, and we were originally thinking of a retirement place. And the thrill and excitement of the Thoroughbred industry, coupled with the opportunity to preserve such a famed operation, was an opportunity too good to pass up,” John Malone told The Blood-Horse.
THE FULL LIST: AMERICA’S 100 LARGEST LANDOWNERS 2017
1. John Malone...MUCH MORE
2. Ted Turner
3. Emmerson Family (up 9,666 acres)
4. Stan Kroenke
5. Reed Family
6. Irving Family (up 236 acres)
7. Brad Kelley (up 150,000 acres)
8. Singleton Family
9. King Ranch Heirs
10. Pingree Heirs
11. Peter Buck NEW TO LIST
12. Ford Family (up 158,000 acres)
13. Wilks Brothers (up 30,000 acres)
14. Briscoe Family
15. Lykes Heirs
16. Hamer Family NEW TO LIST
17. O’Connor Heirs (up 7,000 acres)
18. Martin Family
19. Thomas Peterffy NEW TO LIST
20. Stimson Family (up 52,000 acres)
21. Holland Ware BACK ON LIST
22. Westervelt Heirs (up 41,000 acres)
23. D.R. Horton
24. McDonald Family (up 64,000 acres)
25. Simplot Family
LandLeader has the individual stories:
LandLeader is once again proud to present The Land Report 100, the 2017 annual survey of America's top land owners. In our second year of sponsoring this exclusive list, LandLeader continues to reinvent land and ranch marketing and is growing at a tremendous rate.
Since 2013, LandLeader jumped into the land marketing market with immediate growth, innovative marketing strategies, exceptional land sales, and welcomed the best land brokers to join our exclusive partnership across the country. In just three quick years our members have collectively sold over $3 billion in real estate in over 35 states.
The network that our owner members have created gives landowners and buyers the most trusted and wide spread group of land professionals in America. Our team of agents and brokers loves the great outdoors, believes in strong family values and are purveyors of conservation and wildlife management.
In an effort to support land stewardship and ownership, LandLeader and all of our members are honored to host the digital version of The 2017 Land Report 100 below. Enjoy!...
... Slideshow
See also the field notes:No. 4 Stan Kroenke...MUCH MORE
1,380,000 acres
One of the greatest opportunities awarded to private landowners is the restoration and enhancement of the lands they steward. At Kroenke Ranches, this includes initiatives at Montana’s Broken O Ranch and Texas’s Waggoner Ranch. On the Broken O, focal points include upland bird enhancement as well as stream and wetland restoration. Given the Broken O’s 40-plus miles of spring creeks, the latter is a massive undertaking that incorporates a survey and engineering design team to guide the construction efforts. On the Waggoner, wildlife enhancement was initiated with hiring a quail biologist and wildlife staff. The focal point on the Waggoner is the reduction of Mesquite density to 20 percent to create ideal quail habitat through water retention and vegetative diversity. Helicopter surveys have indicated that quail populations are already on the rise as a result of the enhancement work.
No. 6 Irving Family
1,246,236 acres (up 236 acres)
Founded in 1882, privately held J.D. Irving Company owns some 3.2 million acres in Canada, where it is based in New Brunswick, and manages an additional 2.8 million acres. Seed production and yield are the focus of the Northern Maine division of Irving Woodlands, which includes 1.246 million acres; all are certified under the Forest Stewardship Council program. In addition, the US operations are regularly and independently audited according to ISO 14000 environmental standards and are certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program. Last year, Irving Woodlands planted some 2.9 million trees. All told, the company has planted over 960 million trees. In addition to land, J.D. Irving Limited ranks as one of Canada’s largest privately owned enterprises and has wide-ranging operations, including hydropower, shipbuilding, consumer products, transportation, and logistics.
No. 7 Brad Kelley
1,150,000 acres (up 150,000 acres)
Kelley’s Calumet Farm continues its return to glory. Since acquiring it in 2013, the Kentucky native has been burnishing the reputation of the legendary breeding and training facility on the track and in the barn. This year, three contenders in the Run for the Roses wore Calumet’s colors. Although neither Hence nor Patch nor Sonneteer finished in the money, the presence of the trio in the starting gates speaks volumes about Kelley’s commitment to the sport of kings. Earlier this year, Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher told the Lexington Herald-Leader, “I think Mr. Kelley, as you can see, is putting together a pretty powerful stable. He’s carrying on that Calumet tradition in a big way. It looks to me like it’s only going to get bigger.”
No. 16 Hamer Family
600,000 acres (NEW TO LIST)
Fourth Generation of West Virginia Foresters Cracks Land Report 100 at No. 16
Starting with just one sawmill in 1976, West Virginia native Jim Hamer (1937–2011) grew his timber holdings exponentially. His heirs own 600,000 acres of timberland, run 5 sawmills, and produce 50 million board feet of green lumber per year and 25 million board feet of kiln-dried lumber in the Mountain State annually. Jim C. Hamer Companies have long been recognized as a pioneer in converting sawdust into densified fuel pellets and creating a novel fuel source.
