Eric O’Keefe

Bill Gates: America’s Top Farmland Owner

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Eric OKeefe

By ERIC O’KEEFE The co-founder of Microsoft and his wife rank as America’s largest private farmland owners. Call it a hunch, but the story did not jibe. I scanned the headline for the umpteenth time and then read and reread…

Tagged with: Bill Gates, Cascade Investment, Eric O'Keefe, Land Report 100, Melinda Gates, Microsoft, Tri-City Herald, Wendy Culverwell
Posted in Agriculture, Cattle, Eric OKeefe, Feature, Great Plains, Land Report 100, Midwest, Pacific, South, Southwest, West

Excerpts from COVID-19 Conference Call

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Land Report Editors

The following excerpts from a conference call with economist Mark Dotzour PhD, Peoples Company president Steve Bruere, and Land Report editor Eric O’Keefe have been edited for content and clarity. An audio file of the conversation is available at the…

Tagged with: coronavirus, COVID-19, Eric O'Keefe, interest rates, Mark Dotzour, safe haven, Steve Bruere
Posted in Agriculture, Equities, Farming, Federal Policy, News Desk

Land Report March 2020 Newsletter

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Land Report Editors

Highlights from our March newsletter include: Insights and observations on coronavirus impacting markets. Farmers suffer as Saudis and Russians send oil prices plummeting. Land Report 100er brings 500,000 acres to market in Texas and New Mexico for $500 million. For up-to-the-minute reports…

Tagged with: Brad Kelley, Eric O'Keefe, Ford Ranch, Hugh Roy Cullen, Land Report 100, Mark Dotzour, Steve Bruere, tillable
Posted in Midwest, News Desk, Newsletter, Southwest, West

Bill Gates Pays $171 Million for Washington Farmland

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Eric OKeefe

BY ERIC O’KEEFE Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates paid $171 million to acquire approximately 14,500 acres of highly productive farmland in Southern Washington from John Hancock Life Insurance Company. Gates’s acquisition, which closed on August 28, ranks as the highest…

Tagged with: Alan Busacca, Bill Gates, Cottonwood Ag, Eric O'Keefe, Horse Heaven Hills, John Hancock Life Insurance Co., Microsoft, Wendy Culverwell
Posted in Agriculture, Cattle, Feature, News Desk, Pacific, Washington

The Land Report Spring 2018

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Land Report Editors

The Magazine of the American Landowner announces the 2017 Deals of the Year: Deal of the Year: Jack and Laura Dangermond’s $165 Million Donation Preserves Santa Barbara’s Bixby Ranch as the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve Ranchland Deal of the Year: Colorado’s…

Tagged with: Aubrie Kobernus, Bill McDavid, Dave Palmerlee, Eric O'Keefe, Farmland Partners, Hall and Hall, Jack and Laura Dangermond, Jason Newsted, Jeff Hubbard, Mirr Ranch Group, Pat Lancaster, Paul Pittman, State of South Carolina, Ted Turner, The Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve
Posted in Agriculture, Back Issues, Developers, Farming, Federal Policy, Hunting, News Desk, Pacific, Public Land, Recreation, Residential Property, South, Southwest, West

Land Report September 2017 Newsletter

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Land Report Editors

TED TURNER HONORED AS 2017 LEGACY LANDOWNER. The Magazine of the American Landowner singles out the iconic steward of 2-plus million acres in the US and Argentina with the cover story of the summer issue. Other great reads include: Molokai…

Tagged with: Bayer AG, citrus greening, Cross Mountain Ranch, Eric O'Keefe, John Malone, Ken Mirr, Kenedy Memorial Foundation, LandVest, Lanse Robb, Mirr Ranch Group, Molokai Ranch, North Shore, Steamboat Springs, Sylvia Whitmore, T. Boone Pickens, Ted Turner, Tom Brokaw, Tres Hermanos Ranch, Turner Ranches
Posted in California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, News Desk, Newsletter, Northeast, Pacific, South, West

The Commish Takes Our Questions

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Eric OKeefe

Interview by Eric O’Keefe Original Photography by Gustav Schmiege III MUCH LIKE HIS NATIVE STATE, the 28th Commissioner of the General Land Office is an intriguing blend of tradition and innovation. He wears cowboy boots – and an iWatch. His…

Tagged with: Alamo, Alpine High Field, Eric O'Keefe, George P. Bush, Texas General Land Office
Posted in Agriculture, Cattle, Conservation, Developers, Energy, Eric OKeefe, Feature, Gustav Schmiege, Interviews, News Desk, Public Land, Southwest, Taxes, Texas, Water

2017 Land Report Texas Issue

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Land Report Editors

Get your The Land Report 2017 Texas issue! Our annual Lone Star State roundup features the 13-Million-Acre Man, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. As the head of Texas’s oldest agency, Bush is responsible for maximizing revenues for the benefit of…

Tagged with: Eric O'Keefe, George P. Bush, Grover Norquist, Henry Chappell, Horses to Ride, Nolan Ryan, Wyman Meinzer
Posted in Back Issues, News Desk

Land Report February 2017 Newsletter

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Land Report Editors

STOP THE PRESSES! CONGRESS CONSIDERS ELIMINATING 1031 EXCHANGES! 1031s are an essential tax-deferral mechanism for landowners coast to coast. Grover Norquist tells The Land Report that tax reform by Congress is a certainty. Norquist adds that 1031s are under consideration for…

Tagged with: 1031 exchange, Albany, Barefoot Ranch, Bernard Uechtritz, BLM, Blue Springs Plantation, Corn Belt, David Oppedahl, Eric O'Keefe, George P. Bush, Grover Norquist, Hall and Hall, John Ed Stepan, Kyle Bass, Ranch Investments, tax policy, Witt Stephens Jr.
Posted in Agriculture, Conservation, Federal Policy, Georgia, Golf, Midwest, Newsletter, Oklahoma, Recreation, Residential Property, South, Southwest, Taxes, Texas, Water

Hummingbird Nest Ranch Finally Sells

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Eric OKeefe

123-acre Simi Valley estate listed for $75 million in 2007, sold for $33 million in 2015. Only a few years have passed since Hummingbird Nest Ranch was being fast-tracked to become Simi Valley’s first five-star resort, complete with a 105-room…