Sale of Historic Broken O Ranch Named 2012 Deal of the Year

The Land Report recognizes Deals of the Year and America's Best Brokerages

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Apr 02, 2013, 11:13 ET

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Magazine of the American Landowner has selected the sale of Montana's 124,000-acre Broken O Ranch as the 2012 Deal of the Year. According to The Land Report Editor, Eric O'Keefe, the acquisition of the Broken O Ranch by Stan Kroenke from the William H. Moore Family was unrivaled in stature, scope and scarcity. "Savvy investors are putting a premium on legacy properties with solid balance sheets, and no transaction said this more emphatically in 2012 than the sale of the Broken O," said O'Keefe.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130402/CL86391 )

The 2012 Deal of the Year was facilitated by two Bozeman-based brokers: Joel Leadbetter of Hall and Hall representing Kroenke, and Mike Swan of Bates, Sanders, Swan Land Company representing the Moore Family. Both brokerages were recognized in The Land Report's third annual survey of the country's leading real estate firms specializing in land, which is featured with the Deals of the Year in the spring 2013 issue.

"With the Broken O Ranch, Bill Moore had the vision, expertise and ability to assemble one of the finest cattle and farming operations in the United States," said Leadbetter. "I think everyone involved in the deal is pleased that it ended up in the hands of an owner like Stan Kroenke, who can carry forward that legacy of stewardship."

"We were fortunate to have sold the ranch to an individual like Stan Kroenke, who has such a high level of commitment to agriculture and land stewardship," said Mike Swan. "He was an ideal buyer for an enterprise of Broken O's size and complexity."

The Conservation Deal of the Year went to Texas's Devils River Ranches, and was brokered by Jeff Boswell at Republic Ranches, representing the buyer, and Kevin Meier of duPerier Texas Land Man, representing the Texas Nature Conservancy.

"My client and I were thrilled to be able to work with Jeff Francell at the Texas Nature Conservancy to put together a deal that will protect one of the most amazing pieces of dirt in Texas," said Boswell. "By putting a proper conservation easement on this property, we were able to ensure the preservation of a true piece of Texas's natural and historical heritage."

"This type of transaction is unique in so many ways and yielded a historic outcome," said Meier. "Everyone involved had the same goal of conservation in mind, and because of that goal we were able to secure 40,000 acres with a conservation easement and protect 5.5 miles of the pristine Devils River."

The Public Lands Deal of the Year featured the acquisition of Wyoming's Moriah Ranch by the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments. Facilitating the transaction were Dave and Hunter Harrigan of Harrigan Land Company and Ryan Lance with the State of Wyoming.

"Stuart and Robin Phillips are people who understand they are only stewards to what God has provided for them," said Hunter Harrigan. "We truly have been inspired by the selflessness and love displayed by the Phillips family, and we feel others will be just as inspired by reading their story in The Land Report."

About The Land Report
Founded in 2007, The Land Report is an award-winning quarterly magazine focused on America's greatest resource – the land. For more information or to view the entire Deal of the Year issue, visit Land Report.com.

Media Contact:
Leigh Butler
Markstein Consulting
205.323.8208
[email protected]

SOURCE The Land Report