NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD NEWS) — A massive New Mexico ranch purchase by billionaire Stan Kroenke is reshaping conversations around land values, agricultural control, and the future of rural economies across the West. According to The Land Report, Kroenke’s acquisition of more than 937,000 acres — the largest single U.S. land transaction in over a decade — made him the nation’s largest private landowner, underscoring how strategic investors increasingly view large-scale ranchland as a long-term asset.
Unlike row-crop farmland, much of Kroenke’s portfolio consists of working cattle ranches spanning New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, and Canada. These properties remain active grazing operations, tying the transaction directly to beef production, land stewardship, and regional livestock infrastructure rather than to passive landholding.
The purchase also reflects a broader trend among high-net-worth investors who see land as protection against inflation, volatility, and financial market risk. Analysts note that ranchland offers scale, water access, and income potential that appeal to long-term capital, particularly as Western land values continue to rise.
For rural communities, ownership concentration brings both stability and concern. Deep-pocketed owners can sustain operations during downturns, but large transactions can also influence land access, water rights, and local tax dynamics.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Large-scale land purchases signal rising competition for ranchland, reinforcing its value while reshaping long-term access and control in rural agriculture.
Tony St. James, RFD NEWS Markets Specialist
In part three of his blog series, “Top 10 Developments in Ag Law and Tax in 2023,” Roger McEowen covers the Corps of Engineers’ mismanagement of Missouri River water levels.
January 30, 2024 02:29 PM
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“Where The Food Comes From” visits M&B Products, a milk bottling plant in Temple Terrace, FL (a suburb of Tampa) with its farm in Lecanto, operated by the McClellan family. Get ready for a lesson in everything from milk bottling, to dairy nutrition, and bovine reproduction!
January 25, 2024 03:00 PM
Would you believe it’s possible to have a dairy barn where all you smell is clean fresh country air? Leon McLellan of M&B Products in Temple Terrace, FL shows us how!
January 24, 2024 03:00 PM
If chocolate milke doesn’t come from brown cows (and strawberry milk certainly doesn’t come from pink ones), then where does it come from? Get the scoop!
January 24, 2024 10:00 AM
At Florida dairy operation M&B Products, we learn about bottling milk, lactose intolerance, and so much more!
January 23, 2024 03:57 PM
Two more key developments in ag law and taxation from 2023, a crackdown on biodiesel fraud and developments in self-employment taxation (#7 and #6), are the topic of today’s Firm to Farm blog post, the second in a series by RFD-TV agri-legal expert Roger McEowen.
January 18, 2024 12:44 PM
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The start of the review of the most important ag law and tax developments of 2023—that is the topic of today’s Firm to Farm blog post by RFD-TV agri-legal expert Roger A. McEowen
January 04, 2024 12:20 PM
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As we start the new year, let’s take a look at some of the legislative items from 2023 affecting agriculture that will continue to play out in the political area for months to come.
January 02, 2024 12:00 PM
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December 14, 2023 05:22 PM
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