Louisiana’s Six Largest Land Owners

Louisiana is 33 million acres. Of those 33 million, there are six families, organizations, and foundations that are the largest owners of land in the Pelican State. One of these landowners may surprise you.

Largest Land Owners In Louisiana

How many times have you heard stories of old farmland skyrocketing in value because the land around is being developed into neighborhoods and shopping centers?

If you can, buying dirt is always a sound investment.

Aside from the land increasing in value due to development, land in Louisiana is valuable for many reasons.

Louisiana land is rich in industries such as salt, oil, natural gas, fishing, agriculture, and many more.

According to A-Z-Animals.com Louisiana is the 25th most populated state with 4.6 million people.

A sprawling 51,563 square miles, Louisiana is also home to a wide range of wildlife, all helping to contribute to "Sportsman's Paradise".

If you've been on a road trip around Louisiana, you may have found yourself asking "Who owns all of this?"

The folks over at A-Z-Animals.com have done the research and have found who the six largest landowners are in Louisiana.

There's one couple on the list of the largest owners of Louisiana land that might surprise you.

1. Foreign Entities - 1,390,000 Acres. Estimated Value $5,725,410,000

Does this mean the largest owners of Louisiana land aren't even from or in the United States?

Yep.

According to A-Z-Animals.com, a "2021 USDA report revealed foreign companies owned 1.4 million acres of Louisiana’s total agricultural land."

They report most of the entities on the list were in Beauregard, Vernon, and LaSalle Parishes.

31% of the 1.4 million acres are owned by Canadian investors involved in timber production such as the companies Telko, Teal Jones, and Interfor.

Other foreign investors in the report include Dutch investors, Italian companies, German firms, and more.

2. Federal Government - 1,330,429 Acres. Estimated Value = 5,480,037,051

This one surely isn't a shock to you.

When you consider federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. National Park Service, it makes sense the federal government would be the second largest land owner in Louisiana.

3 The Martin Family - 582,000 Acres. Estimated Value = $2,397,258,000

According to a-z-animals.com, 89.3% of Louisiana is actually privately owned.

The Martins own a large portion of that 89.3%, to the tune of 582,000 acres.

The Martin family runs the Roy O. Martin Lumber Company in Alexandria.

4. Bill and Melinda Gates - 70,000 Acres. Estimated Value = $288,330,000

That's right. Bill and Melinda Gates are the 4th largest landowners in Louisiana.

Bill Gates is currently worth over $100 billion, and one investment he's made with his billions is buying land all over the United States.

Gates owns farmland in 20 states, including 70,000 acres throughout Louisiana.

5. Golden Ranch Farms - 52,000 Acres. Estimated Value = $214,188,000

Golden Ranch Farms is Louisiana’s largest privately-owned refuge.

Owned by Arlen Cenac Jr., Golden Ranch Farms has turned its 52,000 acres in Louisiana "into a one-of-a-kind property by spearheading various conservation and sustainability projects" according to a-z-animals.com.

6. Land and Trust Louisiana - 10,000 Acres. Estimated Value = $41,190,000

Land Trust Louisiana is highly involved in the improvement of water quality.

From a-z-animals.com -

"As of 2020, over 90% of the water bodies accessed in the state were polluted, so their water wasn’t safe for wildlife and humans interested in drinking it or indulging in watersports like swimming."

To read more, head over to a-z-animals.com.