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No one is making any more land, but now we know more about who owns much of it, thanks to The Land Report, long a credible real estate news source for knowing who is buying land, where and for what purpose. It covers the ranching industry, large commercial investments and the long-proven benefits of having the deed to horizon-spanning plots of open space, among other insights about this critical corner of the real estate market.
In its 2025 Land Report 100, a special breakdown of the country’s top 100 land owners by acreage, the magazine turned to technology to help readers understand what’s on, under and around the land owned by a number of prominent homegrown billionaires.
Land data and marketing solution Land id, reviewed by Inman in 2024, worked with Land Report editors to highlight the holdings of Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Ted Turner, among others, according to a March 20 press release.
“Readers of The Land Report online and Land id subscribers can access each major tract held by the members of the elite group, review an array of data layers, toggle through an array of insights, and better understand the depth and breadth of their respective holdings,” the release stated.
Land Report Publisher Eddie Lee Rider Jr. said that the technology partnership adds a new layer to the reader’s experience and understanding of how much land the list truly encompasses.
“Thanks to our partnership with Land id, The Land Report has been able to increase the accuracy of the Land Report 100 as well as enhance the user experience,” Rider said.
At No. 1 on the list is the Emerson Family of California, who own and run Sierra Pacific Industries, a lumber company. Their holdings total 2,411,000 acres throughout the Golden State, Oregon and Washington.
The Land Report 100 revealed that Ted Turner is No. 3 on the list, owning 2 million acres in an array of midwest and Rocky Mountain states. Most of his property is dedicated to conservation, wilderness recreation and travel.
Bezos uses part of his 462,000 acres in Far West Texas for LS1, or Launch Site One, the home base of his space exploration company Blue Origin. He’s No. 23 on the list.
The Land Report found that Microsoft co-founder and global philanthropist Bill Gates owns 275,000 acres, including the largest private portfolio of farmland in the nation. Gates’ holdings can be found in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin, according to the release.
For perspective, if the fictional Yellowstone Dutton Ranch were as depicted in the popular land-centric modern Western, it would be just outside the list’s top 10. Fans of the show estimate the controversial cattle operation consists of between 775,000 and 825,000 acres.
Land id is a web and mobile application that is part Google Maps, part Matterport, helping users understand how geographic data can drive buying, building and marketing decisions for a wide array of real estate entities.
“Any agent who wants to provide more value than a competitor or who aspires to work with homebuilders can benefit from this application. It renders extensive data visualizations quickly, offers a low learning curve and provides a number of useful marketing presentation features,” the 2024 Inman review stated.
“Overlays allow the user to click on and off layers of information, such as contour lines for elevation insights, conservation easements (more common in the West), soil reports, city limits, flood zones, school zones, water districts and even grazing allotments, oil wells and game management areas.”
