Ted Turner's Land Purchases
Largest U.S. Private Landowner Wants to Purchase 40,000 More Acres
The American billionaire says his land buying days are most over and also denies some of the rumors and conspiracy theories that have evolved about his true intents.
In a recent interview with the Omaha World-Herald (February 7, 2008, Morning Edition, pp. 1A & 2A), Atlanta entrepreneur Ted Turner, 69, stated that his reasons for purchasing Western ranchland are quite simple. He would like to own 2 million acres nationwide before he dies, a goal toward which he is currently 40,000 acres short. "You know what 2 million acres is?" asked Turner. "If [each acre] was all connected [end-to-end], a mile deep, it would stretch from New York to San Francisco."
Ted Turner's Career
Turner's early career started in billboard advertising before he ventured into cable television and sports franchises. It was in those two venues that he created his most wealth, an estimated $7 billion at one point. He eventually sold or was forced out of most of these enterprises and, since then, his focus has turned to other activities. Primarily these have been in the areas of conservation, saving endangered species, fighting global warming and nuclear weapons, and starting a chain of restaurants.
Since 1987, Turner has also been buying land. Starting with his first purchase in Montana, he has bought large amounts of ranchland throughout the Great Plains and smaller amounts in a few southern states and South America. In Nebraska, he now owns over 425,000 acres, all located in the Sand Hills region. It's on these lands that he currently raises the largest private herd of bison in the world.
It is these land purchases that have concerned some people, leaving them to wonder what Turner's intentions are. The result has been numerous theories, many of them bad.
Rumors and Conspiracies
The three major theories are:
- Turner wants to gain control of the Ogallala Aquifer, a vast underground water reservoir that is essential to the plains region.
- He wants to force neighboring ranchers out of business in a massive land grab.
- He wants to create in Nebraska a bison reserve that would eventually be given to the federal government. This would result in valuable land being taken off the state's tax rolls.
Turner addressed these issues during the newspaper interview. His answers can be summed in one word: nonsense.
Turner Answers the Critics
- Regarding the Aquifer, Turner bluntly said, "I've never sold any water rights to anyone and don't intend to."
- Is his goal a land grab? He's not interested in any more free-standing ranches, only parcels adjacent to his current properties. "I'm almost done. I've got enough [land]."
- What about a reserve for bison? Although concerned with re-populating herds, he also sees them as a business item. His chain of 54 restaurants, Ted's Montana Grills, specializes in bison meat. Most of the restaurants, particularly the one in Omaha, are close to the source. Turner even gives it both an economical and environmental twist. By having the bison nearby, transportation costs and greenhouse gases are reduced, he said.
There are many who choose to work with Turner rather than criticize him. Cherry County rancher Duane Kime's land is surrounded on three sides by the billionaire's property. He hasn't always appreciated Turner's land buying, but does not deny his right to do so and has found Turner's property managers easy to get along with. "We've worked out several land swaps and they've let me cut hay on his property," the rancher said.
