Stanley Kroenke, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Rams and a global sports empire, has ascended to the top of The Land Report's annual ranking as the largest private landowner in the United States. His holdings now span 2.7 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone National Park.

The milestone follows Kroenke's December purchase of nearly 1 million acres of New Mexico ranchland from the family behind industrial conglomerate Teledyne. The transaction, involving the historic Singleton Ranches, is reported to be the largest private land acquisition in the U.S. in over a decade. The ranch, established by late Teledyne founder Henry Singleton, is a major cattle- and horse-breeding operation.

This acquisition propelled Kroenke from fourth to first place on the list, surpassing the Emmerson family (2.44 million acres), media mogul John Malone, and CNN founder Ted Turner.

Kroenke's rapid expansion in land ownership has been fueled by acquiring vast, legacy ranches. In 2016, he purchased Texas's historic Waggoner Ranch for $725 million, ending 160 years of family ownership. Such properties are increasingly coming to market as heirs opt to sell rather than continue multigenerational agricultural operations.

The trend reflects a broader movement among the ultra-wealthy to invest in U.S. farmland and ranchland as a tangible asset hedge against inflation and market volatility. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmland values grew at an average annual rate of 5.8% from 2019 to 2024.

Other notable billionaires on The Land Report list include Bill Gates, the largest private owner of U.S. farmland with 275,000 acres; online brokerage founder Thomas Peterffy (647,000 acres); and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (462,000 acres).