Broadcast Pioneer and Land Conservation Advocate Ted Turner Dies at 87

Turner built one of the nation’s largest private land holdings while becoming a major force in bison ranching and conservation.

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.

Related Stories
With record grain harvests and rising global ethanol demand, leaders across the ag and energy sectors are pushing for year-round E15 sales to mitigate the strain on grain trade.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) are praising the passage of a bill to delist gray wolves as an endangered species by the U.S. House last week.
Michelle Perez shares more about the American Farmland Trust’s resource to help farmers and producers plan soil health improvements.
NRECA CEO Jim Matheson reacts to the U.S. House’s passage of the SPEED Act, which aims to streamline federal permitting for energy and infrastructure projects, and discusses its potential impact on rural communities.
A new maritime biofuels coalition aims to position ocean shipping as a significant growth market for U.S. crops and waste-derived fuels.
Mexico plans to release 202,000 acre-feet of water into the Rio Grande, offering temporary relief to South Texas farmers as Congress advances the PERMIT Act.

Knoxville native Neal Burnette-Irwin is a graduate from MTSU where he majored in Journalism and Entertainment Studies. He works as a digital content producer with RFD News and is represented by multiple talent agencies in Nashville and Chicago.


LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Jarrod Hardke with the University of Arkansas break down extreme drought conditions, shifting planting decisions, and the impact of rising input costs on Arkansas agriculture this season.
SAE programs help FFA students build skills beyond the classroom.
Louisiana farmers say high water levels routinely threaten crops, highlighting the need for critical infrastructure and sustainability efforts in the Bayou.
Dixondale Farms produces around 900 million onion transplants each year, shipping them directly to customers and distributors across the country.
The Farm Monitor says Georgia farmers highlighted profitability and labor challenges during a Farm Bureau event with USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden.
Effort aims to reduce wildfire risk in Western Colorado communities
Agriculture Shows
Hosted by Scott “The Cow Guy” Shellady and RFD News Markets Specialist Tony St. James, Commodity Talk delivers expert insight into the day’s ag commodity markets just before the CME opens. Only on RFD-TV and Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.
A look at the news, weather and commodities headlines that drove agriculture markets in the past week.
Everything profits from prairie. Soil, air, water — and all kinds of life! Learn how you can improve your land with prairie restoration, cover crops and prairie strips, while growing your bottom line.
Special 3-part series tells the story of the Claas family’s legacy, which changed agriculture forever.