2011 Land Report 100: Benjamin W. Griffith III

No. 59 Benjamin W. Griffith III

161,093 acres

Southern Pine Plantations founder Benjy Griffith has holdings in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, and Montana. He emphasizes clean air and water along with maximizing wildlife habitats on each property. Griffith recently donated $2.5 million to endow a scholarship at Georgia’s Mercer University, and the first recipient was named this summer. Griffith is a graduate of the private college. In addition, his father served as a longtime member of its faculty. In January 2011, Griffith acquired the 8,400-acre Senah Plantation, whose name is derived from the backwards spelling of a previous owner. Griffith intends to turn Senah into one of the finest wild bird plantations in southern Georgia.

 

 

 

Sold! Kentucky’s Anderson Circle Farms

In a spirited auction that lasted just over three hours, Anderson Circle Farms in Harrodsburg, Kentucky sold for $25 million. The winning bidder, Justice Family Farms, also owns land in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

At 5,529 acres, Anderson Circle Farms has been in the making since 1967, when Ralph G. Anderson began acquiring farms adjacent to his original 220-acre Mercer County Farm. For more than four decades, Mr. Anderson and his family worked hard to acquire and restore the remarkable historic estates that came to be known as Anderson Circle Farms.

Used primarily as farmland for cattle and crops, a total of 2,400 head of cattle live on the farm, including a purebred and commercial Angus herds. Anderson Circle Farms also includes 3,500 acres of high-quality, well managed tillable farmland, some of which is used for grain, vegetable, and tobacco production.

Drawing over 140 bidders, it was “hard to imagine a more dramatic finish than this one,” said R.D. Schrader, president of Schrader Real Estate & Auction. “A couple of bidders wanted the entire property but we had a lot of folks – including farmers, investors and other bidders – who were hoping to buy various parts of the land and the homes that were part of Anderson Circle Farms.”

Land Report Top 10: Jackson Land and Cattle Ranch

Jackson Land and Cattle Ranch is a remarkably beautiful 1,750± acre ranch literally on the edge of the town of Jackson, Wyoming. Known as the premier resort community in the Rocky Mountain West, Jackson Land and Cattle Ranch takes full advantage of the most magnificent views for which the area is so famous. This is arguably Jackson’s most desirable ranch that remains essentially unencumbered by development restrictions.

This ranch is the finest offering available in arguably the nicest resort communities in the country. Its world-class cutting horse and cattle operation is situated in the most remarkable setting one could ever hope to find. Large productive hay meadows and pastures span the valley floor and give way to hills and mountains covered by large aspen groves and dense green timber slopes that provide exceptional habitat to the abundant wildlife. Three large trout-filled ponds have been developed close to the equestrian center and a beautiful spring creek meanders down through the valley. The backdrop is the famous Teton Range with its centerpiece, the Grand, in full view from the ranch.

Jackson Land and Cattle Ranch is listed with Hall and Hall. For more information, contact John Pierce at (307) 733-0989 or via email at pierce@hallandhall.com.

Click here to see the full list of Land Report’s Top Ten priciest properties.

2011 Land Report 100: Robert A. Funk

No. 55 Robert A. Funk

175,000 acres

Click here to learn more about Bob Funk’s Express Ranches, which are headquartered on the Chisholm Trail in Yukon, Oklahoma. Express is the largest seedstock operation in the country, and its annual production sale — the Big Event — always draws the country’s top cattlemen. In addition to his Oklahoma holdings, Funk also enjoys a considerable presence in Northern New Mexico, where he owns two legendary ranches: the UU Bar and the Atmore.

 

 

Fish & Wildlife Announces Endangered Species Candidates

In October, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified three new candidate species for protection under the Endangered Species Act. They are the bracted twistflower, a Texas flower found primarily in the Austin area; the Poweshiek skipperling (see photo above), a butterfly found in the upper Midwest; and the magnificent ramshorn, a snail found in North Carolina. In addition, three species were removed from the candidate list: the Wekiu bug, which lives atop Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano, and the Gila and the New Mexico springsnails.

Click here to download a copy of the November 2011 newsletter.

Sold! 80,200 Acres of Wisconsin Timberland

JANUARY 3 UPDATE:

In late December, a deal was struck to sell the 80,200 acres of timberland in northern Wisconsin for $42.9 million dollars to two companies that manage timberland throughout the U.S.

According to LandVest, Inc. broker David Speirs, the Lyme Timber Company, which is based in Hanover, New Hampshire, has an agreement to purchase 72,800 acres. The Forestland Group, headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is set to purchase the remaining 7,400 acres.

NOVEMBER 17 POST:

The Wausau Paper Timberlands offer approximately 80,000 acres of prime timberland located throughout the northern half of the state of Wisconsin. A leading producer of fine printing and writing papers, towel and tissue products, and specialty papers, Wausau has been divesting non-strategic timber holdings since 2005. Most of these 80,000 acres have been sustainably managed by Wausau since the 1940s for the production of wood fiber.

The acreage consists primarily of natural and planted northern pine species. In addition to timber value, the acreage offers an extensive number of land uses, including recreational and conservation opportunities.

This property is available through LandVest . For more information, contact David Speirs at (207) 874-4982 or dspeirs@landvest.com.

Sold! Wyoming’s Cozy Canyon Ranch

Considered a “treasure in the Sierra Madre,” the Cozy Canyon Ranch near Saratoga, Wyoming has sold after 18 months on the market. According to broker Hunter Harrigan of Harrigan Land Company, Cozy Canyon is a ranch that that once you’re on it, you don’t want to leave.

The 640-acre mountain hideaway is a paradise for mule deer, black beer, plentiful elk and trophy trout. Running year round, the South Spring and Chippewa Creeks feed the lifeblood on the ranch and support populations of wild brook and brown trout up to 12 inches. Its varied habitat makes Cozy Canyon Ranch a favored refuge for mule deer, elk and black bear and provides for amazing hunting possibilities.

The terms of the sale, buyer and seller are confidential.

2011 Land Report 100: Hunt Family

No. 51 Hunt Family

190,000 acres

H.L. Hunt founded Hunt Oil Company in 1934. Today, the family’s interests go well beyond energy. Through the Hoodoo Land & Cattle Company, the Hunts own in Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Texas. The Hunt family is holding the land for future development or mineral exploration, but, until then, its farms and ranches raise cattle and horses and produce hay, corn, citrus, grains, and sugar.

 

2011 Land Report 100: McCoy & Remme Families

 No. 41 McCoy & Remme Families

230,000 acres

This family-owned company acquired its first ranch in Central Texas in 1961 and has gradually expanded its holdings to include highly productive tracts in the Davis Mountains of Far West Texas. Management combines traditional cow-calf ranching methods with progressive rangeland monitoring and stewardship. In 2010, the families’ historic 55,374-acre Rockpile Ranch was listed by King Land & Water for $54.5 million.

 

Sold! Idaho’s Gold Fork River Ranch

Idaho’s pristine and historic Gold Fork River Ranch has recently sold after more than a year on the market. In the words of John Knipe, with Knipe Land Company, Inc., “This is a land where the timber, rocks and mountains, and clean mountain streams meet the sky.”

Located near McCall, Idaho, this 1,246± acre ranch offers over four miles of pristine, alpine river flowing through the center of the ranch and provides critical habitat and refuge for Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Steelhead and land-locked Chinook Salmon.

Featuring a varied topography, from timbered mountains and mountain meadows to rugged rock canyons, this ranch supports livestock, herds of elk, deer, and wild big game, including cougars, bears and moose.

This ranch is also near the famous Gold Fork Hot Springs, a mineral-rich hot springs that is open year round, as well as other area attractions such as golf courses, ghost towns, national forest, and lakes for boating, skiing, and fishing. There are also countless recreational opportunities available, including mountain biking, hiking, fishing, and skiing.

The terms of the sale, buyer and seller are confidential.

Click here to see other properties available through Knipe Land Company.

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