Ted Turner’s Legacy on Agriculture
- Dave Price
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Most Americans who have no connection to agriculture may remember Ted Turner as the founder of CNN and the unconventional visionary who changed television by creating the first 24-hour news cable television network, winning America’s Cup, and purchasing his hometown baseball team (the Atlanta Braves, a team he briefing managed after firing the manager).
But Turner later devoted some of his interests to agriculture where he became one of the largest landowners in the United States, protected bison herds, and supported conservation projects.
RELATED: American Farmland Owner looked in 2023 how Ted Turner became one of the largest private landowners in the country.
How Ted Turner became one of the nation's largest landowners
Turner’s attention to agriculture grew over several decades. He purchased nearly two million acres of ranchland across states including Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Kansas.
For farmland owners and ranchers, Turner represented something rarely seen at that scale. He was a billionaire investor who became deeply committed to agriculture, wildlife restoration, and land stewardship.
Turner’s ranch empire grew through Turner Enterprises. His Western properties featured bison production, conservation, hunting, fishing, and ecotourism. His ranches eventually held the largest private bison herd in the world, which was estimated at more than 50,000 head.
Ted Turner’s focus on bison
Turner’s unique business approach identified bison before many others. He promoted them as both environmentally sustainable and economically viable.
He co-founded Ted’s Montana Grill in 2001, which helped to introduce millions of Americans to bison burgers and steaks. The restaurant chain not only expanded the market for bison ranchers, but it also served as an educational campaign for wildlife conservation and sustainable ranching.
Turner embraced sustainability before it became mainstream.
Ted Turner’s supporters
Some praised Turner for preserving enormous tracts of native grasslands and restoring wildlife habitat. He invested extensively in restoring native species, while supporting habitat for elk, deer, wild turkey, and other wildlife across his ranch properties.
His Vermejo Reserve ranch in New Mexico became one of the most famous examples of large-scale private conservation in America. It was nearly one million acres and  represented one of the largest contiguous privately owned tracts in the country.
Ted Turner’s critics
But others criticized Turner. They viewed massive land acquisitions by Turner and other wealthy investors as contributing to rising land prices and reduced access for local operators.
In Nebraska, where Turner became a major landowner, he became part of a debate about what role wealthy owners should have in rural America and tax incentives involved.Â
What will happen to Ted Tuner's land?
Like him or dislike him, Turner represented a force in farmland ownership of a person committed to holding long-term assets connected to conservation, recreation, and natural resources.
Much like in cable television, Turner was ahead of the times in agriculture.
Turner died Wednesday at the age of 87 after battling Lewy body dementia.
