How Big? Really Big! The Largest Landowners In Montana

In Montana, things are big.  Doesn't matter what it is.  They are big.  Trucks, tractors, waterways, mountains and more.  I mean, we are Big Sky Country!  So, it's no surprise that some of the parcels of land in the Treasure State are quite large.  If someone were to ask you what a large ranch, farm or area of land is, what would your answer be?  5000 acres?  10k, 20k or more?  Where is the line that says this is big?

When You Think You Grew Up on A Large Ranch - But Did I?

Growing up, I knew that I had the fortunate life of growing up on one of the larger, or at least I thought, ranches in central Montana.  With close to 33,000 acres of deeded land and another almost 10,000 acres leased, it cut a large swath of area.  Specially to try and fence!  I always thought it was large, but after getting a glimpse of some of the other larger parcels across the state, I feel a little smaller out there than I once did.

Talking Numbers and Areas:  Where Are the Big Dogs At?

Who owns those big chunks of land in Montana?  The answer actually surprised me, thinking it would be a personal ownership parcel, not a public company that would hold the most acreage across our state.

Here are the top 5 in our state that hold the biggest land in Big Sky Country according to Farmland Riches:

• The Coffee family.  Owning just over 212,000 acres, they operate as the Coffee Cattle Company based in Miles City, Montana.  They also hold property in Custer and Rosebud counties.
• Robert Earl Holding Company with over 213,000 acres.  Earl is the CEO of Sinclair Corporation and also owns Sun Valley and Snow Basin ski resorts.  They operate as the Sunlight Ranch.
• The Galt Family.  Headed by renowned ranch manager Jack Galt.  The holdings of acreage are near 248,000 acres.
• Farris and Daniel Wilks.  With 346,000 acres, these former Texans also own the N Bar Ranch in Lewistown, Montana which is the largest ranch property in the state.
• Coming in at Number 1 on our list?  The Plumb Creek Timber Company.  With holdings of over 770,000 acres, they are the largest landowners in in Montana.  However, much of this property is not farm, ranch or natural areas.  Most of the property is timberland, with little other use.

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