LAMONT, Fla. (RFD News) —Ted Turner, one of America’s largest individual landowners and a longtime advocate for land preservation, died at the age of 87. Turner is widely known for transforming television news after launching CNN, the nation’s first 24-hour news network.
As his media empire expanded, so did his landholdings, eventually growing to roughly 2 million acres across 8 states and 13 ranches.
Much of his agricultural focus centered on expanding bison populations in the West, with his herd growing to approximately 45,000 head over the years.
Turner also became known for conservation and wildlife restoration efforts across his properties, including efforts to preserve open land and protect native ecosystems.
In 2018, Turner publicly revealed he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a progressive neurological disease.
Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue joined us to discuss wildfire recovery efforts in the state, impacts to agriculture, and conditions heading into the spring planting season.
March 31, 2026 02:26 PM
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Building on the USDA’s recently released Grazing Action Plan, the agreement formalizes collaboration between the USDA, Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management to ensure more efficient, transparent, and responsive grazing management across federal lands.
Firefighters are making good progress on two major wildfires burning across parts of Nebraska.
March 30, 2026 01:16 PM
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This week on Champions of Rural America, Congressman Nick Begich discusses the lease sale, its economic impact, and what it could mean for future energy production in Alaska.
March 27, 2026 04:32 PM
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RealAg Radio’s Shaun Haney discusses Canada’s new soil health strategy, its implications for producers, and its potential to support sustainable agriculture in Canada compared to USDA funding for conservation.
March 27, 2026 03:15 PM
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EPA estimates the rule could generate more than $10 billion for rural economies and support over 100,000 jobs across agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
March 27, 2026 01:06 PM
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