Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Los Angeles Rams, has become America's largest private landowner after acquiring nearly 1 million acres of ranchland in New Mexico in December 2023.
This purchase was part of the Singleton Ranches transaction, which is noted as the largest land purchase in the U.S. in more than a decade, according to The Land Report.
With this latest acquisition, Kroenke's total land holdings now reach 2.7 million acres. To put this into perspective, this area is larger than Yellowstone National Park and is roughly equivalent to about 2 million football fields.
This significant expansion has positioned Kroenke at the top of The Land Report's annual ranking of the 100 largest private landowners, moving him up from fourth place.
Following Kroenke are the Emmerson family, who owns an estimated 2.44 million acres through their forest-products company, Sierra Pacific Industries.
Other notable landowners include billionaire Bill Gates, who holds 275,000 acres, making him the largest private owner of U.S. farmland. Gates’ farmland produces various crops such as soybeans, corn, and potatoes.
Investing in U.S. farmland has gained popularity among the ultra-wealthy as a hedge against inflation and stock market volatility.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmland values have grown at an average annual rate of 5.8% from 2019 to 2024, which translates to a 2% increase after adjusting for inflation. This trend has encouraged billionaires, including Philip Anschutz, to invest in large parcels of land for farming and ranching.
Kroenke is known for quickly expanding his land holdings by purchasing large ranches that have been in families for generations.
For example, in 2016, he acquired the Waggoner Ranch in Texas for $725 million, marking the end of 160 years of family ownership. As heirs opt to sell rather than continue family operations, more unique ranch properties are becoming available on the market.
As farmland investments continue to attract attention, it remains to be seen how this trend will impact future land values and ownership structures in the U.S.
With high-profile figures like Kroenke leading the charge, the landscape of private landownership is likely to evolve further.
