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The 2026 Land Report 100 puts Stan Kroenke first among the largest U.S. private landowners, with an estimated 2.7 million acres. But the ranking covers private land of many kinds—not farmland alone—and its leaders’ holdings include extensive ranchland and timberland. The Land Investment Expo, where the ranking was presented, also put land values, farm finances, policy and succession in focus.
Who are the largest U.S. private landowners in 2026?
The Land Report’s 2026 estimates place these four at the top of its Land Report 100:
| Rank | Owner | Estimated acreage | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stan Kroenke | 2.7 million | The Land Report attributes his rise to buying more than 937,000 deeded acres of New Mexico ranchland from heirs of Teledyne founder Henry Singleton. |
| 2 | Emmerson family | 2.44 million | Holdings are largely associated with Sierra Pacific Industries timberland in California, Oregon and Washington. |
| 3 | John Malone | 2.2 million | Listed acreage is an estimate of private land holdings. |
| 4 | Ted Turner | 2 million | Holdings span the Southeast, Great Plains and West. |
These figures are estimates published by The Land Report in 2026, not figures from a government census. Its research team reviews transactions and records such as county tax records, financial reports and corporate press releases, and seeks verification from owners or their representatives when possible.
Does the ranking show who owns the most farmland?
No. The Land Report 100 ranks large private landowners across land types, including ranchland and timberland. It is not a farmland-only ranking, and the top position should not be read as the most cropland or farmland owned. The Land Report has separately identified Bill Gates as the largest farmland owner in its historical reporting; that does not make him the leading owner on its current all-land list. The evidence available here does not establish a current, comprehensive farmland-only ranking.
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What was the Land Investment Expo, and what did speakers discuss?
The 19th annual Land Investment Expo, hosted by Peoples Company, took place January 13, 2026, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. The event report was published by Successful Farming on January 14, 2026; Eric O’Keefe, editor of The Land Report, emceed and presented the ranking.
The program connected land ownership with issues affecting agricultural investment and farm operations:
- Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig discussed Iowa agriculture, farm-bill goals, trade barriers and E-15. He joked that farmers had endured wars, pandemics, economic downturns, weather extremes, pests, disease and policy shifts “and that’s just since last Wednesday.”
- Strategist Peter Zeihan discussed population aging, labor and globalization. The event report quoted him describing a changing labor environment and the need to reindustrialize as major pressures for U.S. investors over the next 25 years. Those remarks are his outlook, not an independently established forecast.
- Deputy USDA Secretary Stephen Vaden spoke about USDA operations and farm programs.
- Jim Knuth of Farm Credit Services of America addressed Iowa land values and working capital. He called working capital essential to running a business and compared it to a farm savings account that can help manage short-term risk.
- Joel Salatin spoke about attracting and preparing the next generation of farmers. The event report quoted his concern about the age distribution of farmers.
- Ron Diamond discussed family-office investment and described such investors as partners who may not be seeking to sell an investment within five years.
The quotations and summaries above are attributed to the speakers as reported by Successful Farming; the wording has not been independently checked against a recording or transcript. They are useful as a record of topics raised at the event, not as proof that a particular investment, labor or policy forecast will come true. Read Successful Farming’s January 14, 2026 event account.
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Rank #3
What USDA data say about farmland ownership and transfers
The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s 2024 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land survey, released March 12, 2026, provides a different view from a list of wealthy private landowners: it looks at rented farmland and landlord populations.
- More than 2.0 million landowners rented out 348 million acres of farmland in 2024; non-farming landlords owned 79% of those rented acres.
- Landlords collectively received $34.1 billion in rental income and incurred $12.0 billion in operating expenses in 2024.
- About 43 million acres—roughly 5% of nearly 900 million U.S. farmland acres—were expected to transfer within five years. The estimate excludes land in, or expected to be put into, wills or trusts. Of the acreage, 23 million acres were expected to be sold to non-relatives and 20 million to relatives or given as gifts.
- The survey covered 1.8 million non-farming principal landlords. Their average age was 69.2; for comparison, the average farmer was 58.1 in the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Twelve percent of principal non-farming landlords were under 55, and nearly 52% had never farmed.
These statistics describe the survey’s defined populations and years; they do not identify the largest individual farmland owners. They do show why ownership and operation are not interchangeable: a substantial share of rented farmland is held by non-farming landlords. USDA NASS: 2024 TOTAL survey results.
Rank #4
How much is U.S. farmland worth per acre?
USDA Economic Research Service figures for 2026 put average U.S. farm real estate at $4,500 per acre, average cropland at $6,020 per acre and average pastureland at $2,000 per acre. These are national averages, not parcel appraisals or offers.
| Land measure | 2026 average value per acre |
|---|---|
| U.S. farm real estate | $4,500 |
| U.S. cropland | $6,020 |
| U.S. pastureland | $2,000 |
| Pacific-region cropland | $10,080 |
| Pacific-region pastureland | $2,550 |
USDA ERS reports substantial regional variation: Corn Belt farm real estate values are nearly twice the national average, while Mountain-region values are less than half. Cropland values exceed pastureland values in every region. The wide gap between Pacific-region cropland and pastureland also illustrates why a single “farmland price” can mislead.
Best Value
For a specific property, relevant factors include its land use, location and local market, soil quality and water, productivity, value relative to cash rent, and whether it is owned and operated by the same party. ERS notes that values reflect both broader economic conditions and parcel attributes, including interest rates, government payments, rural amenity value and proximity to urban areas. USDA ERS: Farmland values.
What the ranking and Expo mean for a potential land investor
Acreage rankings answer a narrow question about estimated ownership scale; they do not show whether a parcel is a sound investment. For an investor evaluating land, the more useful comparison is between the property’s expected income and costs, its local valuation and the risks of its particular use.
- Match the comparable: Compare cropland with cropland and pasture with pasture, and distinguish both from timberland or ranchland.
- Use local evidence: National averages provide context, but regional and parcel characteristics can move values substantially.
- Separate ownership from operations: A landlord may receive rent while a tenant bears operating responsibilities; assess the actual lease, expenses and control rights.
- Stress-test liquidity: Knuth’s Expo remarks highlighted working capital as a buffer for short-term variability. A land purchase should be assessed alongside the cash needed to maintain operations and absorb shocks.
- Understand the transfer horizon: USDA’s survey indicates substantial acreage may change hands, but its estimates do not guarantee that a particular parcel will be available, sold at a given price or transferred on a specific schedule.
Expo speakers also raised policy, labor, succession and family-office investment. Those are considerations to investigate in a transaction, not substitutes for current legal, tax, financing or property-specific advice.
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