The Magazine of the American Landowner is an essential guide for investors, landowners, and those interested in buying or selling land. The award-winning quarterly is known for its annual survey of America's largest landowners, The Land Report 100.
Issue link: http://landreport.epubxp.com/i/582499
102 The LandReport | W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 LANDREPORT.COM Nunley Brothers 301,500 acres Legendary Texas cattleman Red Nunley took up ranching more than seven decades ago and partnered with other landowners to im- prove breeding techniques. Today, Nunley Brothers Ranches is owned and managed by Red's grandsons, Richard and Bob. They run cattle on ranches spanning from South Texas to the Texas Hill Country and across the Trans-Pecos to Alpine. Jeff Bezos 290,000 acres In mid-September, Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced that Bezos's Blue Origin had selected Cape Canaveral as a hub for manufacturing and launching its Orbital Launch Vehicle. Blue Origin was established by Amazon founder Bezos to develop vehicles and technologies to enable commercial human space transportation. The company has a long-term vision of greatly increasing the number of people that fly into space. Prior to Gov. Scott's announcement, Blue Origin had utilized Bezos's 290,000-acre Far West Texas ranch to launch its space vehicles. Mike Smith 286,066 acres up 23,000 acres Mike Smith has amassed significant land holdings in the Texas Panhandle and Eastern New Mexico. The majority of his acreage is grassland for running cattle. Smith, who is based in Amarillo, also has holdings be- tween Dallas and Waco. Collier Family 280,000 acres After earning a cool million in advertising during the Jazz Age, Barron Collier lent his name to Florida's 62nd county as he set about buying up acreage; his great-grand- children continue to guide the clan's diverse agribusiness efforts into the 21st century. Ongoing interests include mineral manage- ment and agriculture throughout the Sunshine State, including the USDA organic- certified Collier Family Farms near Naples. Kokernot Heirs 278,000 acres Among the most storied ranches in Far West Texas, the o6 brand was registered as early as 1837. It was purchased by John Kokernot in 1872, who, with brother Lee, began grazing cattle on open range west of the Pecos. In 1912, Lee's son, Herbert Lee Sr. (1867-1949), began to piece together the immense prop- erty now known as the o6 and the Leoncita Cattle Company. Anne Marion 275,000 acres Anne Burnett Marion holds the reins of the legendary 6666 ("Four Sixes") Ranch established by her great-grandfather, Samuel "Burk" Burnett, as well as other acreage that has yielded more than 100 million barrels of oil to date. Along the way, she's altered the landscape of the Western arts scene, too. Not only did she found Santa Fe's Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, but Marion also remains a benefactor of the Kimbell Art Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Babbitt Heirs 270,000 acres President and fourth-generation family member Billy Cordasco oversees operations from the Northern Arizona outpost of Flagstaff, which includes a recent partnership with federal officials to reintroduce the endangered black-footed ferret to the wild. 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | The L and Report 100 Jeff Bezos announces plans to build a rocket manufacturing plant and launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as Florida Gov. Rick Scott looks on. No. 26 MIKE BROWN/SPACE FLORIDA