America's Leading Landowners Increase Their Holdings to the Size of New England

The 2017 Land Report 100 demonstrates the growing appeal of land as an asset class.

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Dec 22, 2017, 10:00 ET

DALLAS, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- An increasing number of the nation's top investors are looking to land as they diversify their portfolios to include this robust asset class. That is one of the many conclusions drawn from the 2017 Land Report 100 sponsored by LandLeader.

Prominent examples include Subway cofounder Peter Buck, who has acquired more than 1,000 square miles of Maine timberland, and Interactive Brokers Group chairman Thomas Peterffy, who recently paid more than $700 million to acquire Foley Timber and Land, 561,000 acres of timberland in Northern Florida.

The 2017 Land Report 100 features several new additions to the list of the nation's leading landowners, including Subway co-founder Peter Buck, who owns more than 1,000 square miles of Maine timberland, and Interactive Brokers Group chairman Thomas Peterffy, who bought 561,000 acres of Northern Florida timberland.

The Washington Post got a first look at the 2017 Land Report 100 this week and determined that the total acreage owned by the top 100 landowners has grown from an area the size of Maine and New Hampshire in 2007 (the initial year of the study) to an area the size of most of New England, including Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

These rising numbers represent "the growing appeal of land as an asset class," Land Report Editor Eric O'Keefe told The Post's Christopher Ingraham.

2017 marks the second year in a row that LandLeader has sponsored the study.

"We're proud to be the presenting sponsor of The Land Report 100 again this year," said Dax Hayden, Managing Director for LandLeader. "No matter where you go in the country, our exclusive members offer more and more access to exceptional properties. Landowners deserve the best service for their investments, and we deliver with over $3.5 billion in land sales since 2014 and we're growing quickly."

"Our partnership with LandLeader is a natural fit. They are a branding powerhouse with an extensive network across the country. Whether your interests are in the Rocky Mountains, the Southeast or Gulf Coast, the Lone Star State, the Great Lakes or the Pacific Northwest, they have you covered. And that is where our readership is — east, west, north, and south," said Land Report Publisher Eddie Rider Jr.

About The Land Report
Founded in 2007, The Land Report is an award-winning quarterly magazine focused
on America's greatest resource – land. Its readership includes landowners, investors, asset managers, family offices, and land brokers. To read the Winter 2017 issue of The Land Report, visit www.LandReport.com.

About LandLeader
The largest land marketing company across America dedicated to farm, ranch, and recreational properties, LandLeader agents are leaders in their territories and represent their clients' properties with trust, integrity, and a deep knowledge of land values. To download the 2017 Land Report 100 sponsored by LandLeader, click here.