No. 60 Cogdell Family

160,000 acres

D.M. Cogdell Sr. began ranching in Texas in the early 1900s, and his sons D.M. Junior and Billy continued his legacy. Today the best-known portion of the empire they created is the 160,000-acre Tule Ranch in the Texas Panhandle, which belongs to Billy’s children.

No. 60 Leo Drey Foundation

160,000 acres

St. Louis businessman and conservationist Leo Drey accumulated large swaths of forestland in Missouri in an effort to protect and preserve them from clear-cutting. Today much of that land owned by the not-for-profit L-A-D Foundation, after Drey donated the fee titles.

No. 62 Fanjul Family

155,000 acres

The Fanjul family owns the largest organic farm in Florida. Its privately owned Florida Crystals practices the highest standards of sustainable agriculture in growing its crops of sugar cane, rice, and corn in rotation. “Sustainable farming is of the utmost importance, because the cornerstone of successful farming is protecting the land,” says Chairman and CEO Alfonso Fanjul.

No. 63 Hearst Family

153,000 acres

The Hearst family’s ranches include the Piedra Blanca Rancho (upon which sits the famous Hearst Castle) and the Jack Ranch, both in California. The ranches have become known for exclusively grass-fed beef, and practice well-managed grazing in order to preserve the condition of the coastal prairie and native grasslands.

No. 64 Ellison Family

152,000 acres

Ellison Ranching Company was established in 1910 and celebrated its centennial last year. The family’s holdings include a number of Nevada ranches, including the Spanish Ranch, where headquarters are located, and the 71 Ranch.

No. 65 Bass Family

150,000 acres

Family patriarch Sid Richardson was a larger-than-life character whose immense fortune earned him the nickname “The Billionaire Bachelor.” Richardson’s great-nephews — Bob, Ed, Lee, and Sid — are similarly talented. Although they are based in Fort Worth, their holdings are far-flung.

No. 65 Emily Garvey Bonavia

150,000 acres

Emily Garvey Bonavia and the family’s Nevada First Corporation have ranching and timber operations in Nevada and Oregon. Conservation of the land is always top of mind, says Nevada First President Gary Bengochea.

No. 65 Boswell Family

150,000 acres

The family’s J.G. Boswell Company has vast cropland in California, most of which is used to grow cotton and tomatoes. Smaller crops include wheat, sunflowers, and safflowers. CEO James W. Boswell represents the third generation of family leadership.

No. 65 Eddy Family

150,000 acres

The family-owned Port Blakely Companies owns and manages operations in forestry, real estate, and forest products exports.  The Pacific Northwest firm’s history reaches back over a century. In the past year, a new generation assumed leadership. Fourth-generation family member René Ancinas became CEO and is eager and committed to carrying forward the company’s legacy for future generations.

No. 65 William Henry Green Heirs

150,000 acres

The family’s historic Green Ranch, headquartered in Albany, Texas, is a working cattle ranch still run by descendants of founder William Henry Green. The Green Ranch is known for its outstanding remuda as well as its cow-calf and stocker cattle operations.

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No. 50 Bogle Family

192,000 acres

Family patriarch Hal Bogle assembled an impressive collection of farms and ranches in the Southwest, and his family has continued his legacy through parent company Bogle Ltd. In addition to farming cropland, there is a respected cattle ranching operation and Quarter Horse program.

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Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced his decision to protect more than 1 million acres of federal lands surrounding the Grand Canyon and its vital watershed from additional uranium and other hardrock mining for the next 20 years. The Public Land Order to withdraw this acreage for 20 years from new mining claims and sites under the 1872 Mining Law is authorized by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

The withdrawn area includes 355,874 acres of U.S. Forest Service land on the Kaibab National Forest; 626,678 acres of Bureau of Land Management lands; and 23,993 acres of split estate—where surface lands are held by other owners while subsurface minerals are owned by the federal government.

Read the Interior Department press release here.

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Spanning two states, Hudye Farm is the largest dryland and irrigated farm ever to be offered for sale in eastern Colorado and western Kansas.

Assembled over the past ten years, this ranch includes 17,741 acres of high quality farmlands with excellent production history, topography, soils and water conditions. Located in the top grain growing region of this area, the crops grown are primarily corn and wheat.

According to broker Bart Miller of Mason & Morse Ranch Company, this farm presents “a unique opportunity for somebody to come in—whether some local farmers or a large investor or two—to basically put themselves on the map with a 17,000-plus acre farm. Strong cash flow, strong tenants—it’s a great property.” Click here to hear a radio interview with Bart Miller about this amazing farm.*

The Hudye Farm is listed with Mason & Morse Ranch Company for $49 million. For more information, contact Bart Miller at (970) 928-7100.

*Interview provided by Brownfield Radio Network.

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Eye on the Market: Dean Saunders has chaired the Florida Real Estate Commission, is certified as an Accredited Land Consultant (ALC), and was awarded the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation in 2010. The Land Report asked one of the country’s leading land brokers for his take on current market conditions.

You’ve got a long history on the land. You’re a sixth-generation Floridian with deep roots in agriculture. What keeps you going?
I love what I do. I love the people I work with. I love getting outside and looking at land. Every day I wake up, I can’t wait to get going. It’s fun, and I get paid to do it.

When you were in the Florida Legislature, you helped craft key conservation legislation. Can that work as an investment angle?
Definitely. I’ve got one client, a rancher, whose primary investment has been land over the last 15 years, he’s tripled his acreage by skillful use of conservation easements.

What’s the strategy?
He buys a piece of land for farming, hay, sod, and cattle. Then he sells a conservation easement. With the proceeds, he buys another piece of property and starts the whole process over again.

Who are your foreign investors?
It wasn’t too long ago that we had a bunch of Venezuelans trying to get their money out ahead of Chavez. Today’s market is primarily influenced by Canadians, Brits, some Germans, as well as South Americans.

Are they all about farmland?
Seems like everyone is, right? I’m a member of the realtors land institute, and a lot of my buddies in the Midwest and the Delta have seen land prices triple these past few years. A big part of that is commodity pricing, but there’s also the market. Investors are also looking for a safe haven for their money. You can’t earn anything from banks. The stock market is so volatile. But if you buy the right piece of land at the right price, you can generate a 5 percent return from cash rents. Rising commodity prices mean farmers can pay higher cash rents. This increases the value of the land. So people are buying farmland as fast as they can find it.

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No. 40 David Murdock

238,138 acres

Self-made billionaire David Murdock’s privately owned Castle & Cooke owns 98 percent the Hawaiian island of Lanai, and his Dole Food Company owns significant acreage on the island of Oahu. He has additional farms, orchards, and a ranch in California to round out his portfolio. The 88-year-old reportedly does an hour of exercise daily and maintains a strict diet. He has donated more than $500 million to fund scientific research on diet, nutrition, and health.

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This issue is chock full of stories and links to essential resources, including the Winter 2011 issue of The Land Report and of course January’s Land Report Top Ten.

As you might imagine, December wrapped up with a slew of end-of-the-year closings, and several key ones are detailed in the January newsletter, including the sale of Montana’s Horse Ranch and the sealed-bid auction of the Robert Mondavi Estate in Napa.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

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Nestled into the pastoral Woody Creek, Flying Dog Ranch is one of the last remaining original ranches in the Aspen area.

Comprised of four parcels totaling 245 acres, the backyard of Flying Dog Ranch is the 2.3 million-acre White River National Forest, which provides countless riding and hiking possibilities, along with ample hunting opportunities for deer and elk. Featuring excellent views south of the property to the distant mountain ranges, this ranch is an idyllic setting to hitch up horses in the existing stable near Woody Creek Road.

Available for the first time after nearly 40 year, other property highlights include water rights, miles of private trails and roads, multiple barns, fields, a historic homesteader’s cabin, a straw bale house, and freestanding living structures.

Flying Dog Ranch is listed with Morris & Fyrwald Sotheby’s International Realty.

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

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No. 37 Paul Fireman

247,000 acres

Former Reebok chairman and CEO (and current Fireman Capital Partners chairman) Paul Fireman owns one of the largest ranching operations in the West. The Winecup-Gamble Ranch in Nevada has permitted grazing access to almost 750,000 acres. Add to that the ranch’s deeded acreage and the total is just under 1 million acres. In addition to cattle, the Winecup-Gamble also has geothermal hot springs and renowned elk hunting. Previous owners of the Winecup-Gamble include actor James Stewart and former Nevada Governor John Sparks.

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World Class Hunting and Ranching in Mendocino County, California

Located at the southern end of the scenic Round Valley, the historical Hop and Barley Ranch (pictured above) features fertile farm land on the valley floor, beautiful lush forests and meadows in a mountain-like setting, with rolling grasslands and a mile-and-a-half river frontage.

At 6,420± acres, this legacy ranch is teaming with an array of wildlife, from trophy blacktail deer, Tule elk, and cougars to pigs, bears, quail, turkey and dove.

Well-rounded improvements complement the ranch built of redwood siding with corrugated metal roofing for the classic rustic ranch look, reminiscent of a John Wayne movie. A ranch of this size and diversity is a rare find and only a four-hour drive from the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

Available for $14 million, this property is listed with The Chickering Company. For more information, contact Terry Hundemer at (503) 265-5774 or at ranches@chickeringco.com.

Spring Creek Ranch in Fall River Mills, California

Located near the Fall River Valley in California, Spring Creek Ranch is one of America’s finest trophy trout ranches.

At 1,346± acres, this ranch is one of the best fly-fishing ranches with private fishing water on the headwaters of the most prolific spring creek wild rainbow trout fishery in the country, with the average catch in the 3-6 pound range. This ranch also fronts a second spring creek, Lava Creek, as well as frontage on the world renowned Fall River and is home to abundant migratory waterfowl including ducks, geese, pelicans, egrets, herons and swans.

Spring Creek Ranch is a true wildlife refuge in a beautiful mountain area featuring stunning views of Mount Shasta to the north.

This property is listed for $12 million. For more information, contact Terry Hundemer at (503) 265-5774 or at ranches@chickeringco.com.

South Battle Creek Ranches in Mt. Lassen Foothills, California

The Oasis Springs Lodge and the Rocky Springs Ranch, collectively known as the South Battle Creek Ranches, are a quintessential sportsman’s paradise.

Oasis Springs Lodge
Situated near the small foothill community of Payne Creek, the Oasis Springs Lodge overlooks a private crystal clear trophy-trout stream on the lower flanks of Mount Lassen.

Encompassing over 1,100 acres of range-land and meadows interspersed with blue oak woodlands, this ranch is punctuated by fresh water springs, ferns, alders and willows along the South Fork of Battle Creek. A true fly-fisherman’s oasis, the Oasis Springs Lodge boasts some of the most productive fly-fishing streams in California.

Surrounded by some of the richest wildlife habitat in the Western states, it’s common to observe one of the state’s largest migratory deer herds traveling through the area. Other wildlife includes bears, mountain lions, eagles, hawks, quail, dove and wild turkey.

Rocky Springs Ranch
Located in the Mount Lassen foothills of northern California, Rocky Springs Ranch features world-class deer, dove and quail hunting, plus amazing trout fishing.

With nearly 3,000 acres of rolling meadows and blue oak woodlands, this ranch is home to one of the largest migratory deer herds in the state and also provides prime habitat for dove, quail, and wild turkey.

Panoramic views of Mount Lassen to the east and the adjoining ranches and the Sacramento River Valley below can be enjoyed from most areas of the ranch.

Totaling 4,137± acres, these two ranches can be purchased together for $9.39 million (The ranches are each owned by separate entities and are also available separately for $4.895 million and $4.495 million, respectively). Contact Terry Hundemer with The Chickering Company at (503) 265-5774 or at ranches@chickeringco.com for more information.

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