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
114 The LandReport | W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 LANDREPORT.COM JA Ranch Heirs 158,500 acres Founded in 1876 through a partnership between Irish businessman John Adair, Cornelia Adair, and Charles Goodnight, the JA is the oldest continuously operated family cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle. Today, operations are overseen by fifth- generation family member Andrew Bivins, who uses GPS technology to manage the sizable ranch. The JA's pioneering efforts earned the family the Lone Star Land Steward Award from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Ellison Family 152,000 acres E.P. Ellison purchased the bankrupt Spanish Ranch in 1925, and the family has held on tightly to the venerable Elko County, Nevada, property ever since. Other holdings include 71 Ranch in Halleck, Nevada, and several farms serving as feedlots. Bass Family 150,000 acres When the fortune of fabled oilman Sid Richardson passed to his great-nephews, the four beneficiary Bass brothers opted to invest in companies as well as properties throughout the Southwest, including significant holdings in and around their hometown of Fort Worth. Boswell Family 150,000 acres Heirs of James Boswell, a Georgia native who settled in California's San Joaquin Valley in the 1920s and set about creating the world's largest cotton operation, continue to oversee the privately held J.G. Boswell Company. The J.G. Boswell Tomato Co. ranks as the country's second-largest processing tomato grower, accounting for 10 percent of the Golden State's crop. Eddy Family 150,000 acres As owners of Port Blakely Companies, this Pacific Northwest-based clan has provided leadership in forestry and land development for a century with an emphasis on environ- mental stewardship. James "Jim" Eddy Warjone, a third-generation family member, serves as the company's chairman; several years ago, he recruited his second cousin, René Ancinas, to replace him as CEO. Green Heirs 150,000 acres Three generations of Greens maintain a ranching legacy that defines life in and around historic Albany, Texas. Today, Billy Green runs Hereford, Angus, and Black Baldies. Green Ranch's Quarter Horse program is also recognized for its award-winning broodmare band. David Murdock 149,700 acres T he Dole Food mogul has divested himself in the last few years of several luxury properties, including a Bel Air mansion and a New York City pied-à-terre, not to mention most of his stake in the Hawaiian Island of Lana'i, which he famously sold to tech billionaire Larry Ellison. One property Murdock hasn't parted ways with: Southern California's storied Ventura Farms, the scenic 1,300-acre spread on which he breeds champion Arabians. Wells Family 149,000 acres Thomas Wells put down roots for the Rush Creek Land & Livestock operation just before the turn of the 20th century. Now the Wells family's holdings stretch out over eight counties in the Cornhusker State. In addition to overseeing a successful cow-calf operation, Rush Creek also raises alfalfa and grass hay (for feed). It also runs a commercial hunting program. L-A-D Foundation 147,000 acres up 1,000 acres St. Louis businessman Leo Drey began purchasing land in the Missouri Ozarks in 1951 as a demonstration of a sustainable method of timber harvest known as single- tree selection. In 1962, Drey began donating tracts of land to the L-A-D Foundation to preserve particularly significant natural and cultural sites for future generations. In 2004, Drey and his wife donated the majority of their land, Pioneer Forest, to the Foundation. Leo Drey passed away this year at the age of 98. The L-A-D Foundation continues to operate his successful working forest, protecting sensitive watersheds, cultural landmarks, and areas of high ecological value. Don Oppliger 146,322 acres up 6,322 acres Based in Amarillo, The Oppliger Companies are a diversified agribusiness operation that operates in Texas, New Mexico, and Nebraska. Among their holdings is a dairy, six large-scale feedlots, more than 50,000 acres of irrigated farmland, and four ranches across the Nebraska Plains. The L and Report 100 No. 65 The JA Ranch is the oldest privately owned ranch in the Texas Panhandle. 74 | 72 | 73 | 71 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | JA RANCH