Each year, the World Population Review publishes an interactive listing of the country’s largest landowners by state. The 2026 ranking lists the late businessman and CNN founder Ted Turner as the largest landowner in Nebraska, claiming more than 440,000 acres of land.
That begs the question: After Turner’s passing in May, who will control all that land? And will it stay protected, as Turner had wished?
But first, why Nebraska?
When he passed, Turner owned five ranches in Nebraska: Spike Box, Blue Creek, McGinley, Fawn Lake, and Deer Creek. Together, they totaled 446,755 acres, according to his website. He also owned large landholdings totaling more than 2 million acres in Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, and South Dakota.
While Turner ranches operate as working businesses, relying on bison, hunting and fishing, and ecotourism as principal enterprises, they also support progressive environmental causes including water resource and timber management, the reintroduction of native species to the land, support for the bison population, and broader conservation efforts.
Before his death at 87 years old, Turner proved himself a dedicated conservationist, not a greedy businessman snatching up land for his own gain like something out of a Yellowstone plotline. That’s why, upon his death, many worried about what would come of all his protected properties.
Upon his passing, Turner’s landholdings remained under the control of his company, Turner Enterprises, which addressed the concerns on its website.
“The well-being of these properties and the species present on each was of utmost importance to Turner,” the site reads, “therefore prior to his death, he created the Turner Institute of Ecoagriculture, an agricultural research organization (ARO), which operates exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes – ensuring that upon his passing, his lands will continue to be protected, limiting future development and parcellation.”
As far as the annual World Population Review listing goes, Nebraska could do much worse than to see Turner Enterprises remain as the state’s largest landowner in 2027.
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