John Malone Tops the List of Largest U.S. Landowners; Ted Turner is the New No. 2

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Oct 11, 2011, 11:14 ET

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Land Report has declared a new king of the hill atop its annual list of America's largest landowners – media magnate John Malone. Malone's rise highlights the magazine's fall issue, which features the 2011 Land Report 100 Presented by Fay Ranches.

Ted Turner, another land-loving media mogul, was ousted from the top spot when Malone purchased more than 1 million acres of timberland in Maine and New Hampshire earlier this year. This acquisition pushed the chairman of Liberty Media into the top spot with holdings totaling 2.2 million acres. Turner has a firm grip on the No. 2 ranking with ownership of more than 2 million acres, according to the 2011 Land Report 100 Presented by Fay Ranches.

Bragging rights aside, Malone and Turner are quoted in The Land Report as saying they are longtime friends and business partners who share common ground as landowners. Malone happily gives CNN's founder credit for helping him catch "this land-buying disease" during a tour of a Turner ranch the two took together years ago. Turner had been the largest individual landowner since the 1990s, the magazine's editors say.

"It is a shake-up at the top, but it's a friendly shake-up," says Land Report Editor Eric O'Keefe. "The John-and-Ted story is less about rivalry and more about two passionate landowners building substantial legacies."

Land broker Greg Fay, a longtime supporter of the magazine and this year's Land Report 100 sponsor, echoed this love of land. To every property owner in The Land Report 100, "we thank you for your commitment to the land, to conserving our wild places, and preserving our agricultural heritage," Fay writes in his introduction to the 2011 Land Report 100.

The 2011 Land Report 100 Presented by Fay Ranches is an annual survey of the largest private U.S. landowners. It excludes any leased and/or public lands and focuses exclusively on deeded acreage owned by individuals, families, family-owned companies, and family-controlled foundations.

About The Land Report

Founded in 2007, The Land Report is an award-winning quarterly magazine focused on America's greatest resource – the land. Its readership includes landowners, land brokers, investors, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone who cares for and about the land, from mountain retreats and timberland to working ranches and historic estates. For more information or to review the entire 2011 Land Report 100 Presented by Fay Ranches, click here.

About Fay Ranches

Fay Ranches has been providing the finest brokerage services available with the highest level of integrity and professionalism in the American West for 20 years. Sporting pursuits, family, conservation, and ranch value are the four pillars of its legacy of success. For more information about Fay Ranches, click here.

Contact:
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SOURCE The Land Report