Montana’s 3 Biggest Ranches Owned By Billionaires

When you think of Montana, what do you think of? The Griz? The Bobcats? Rodeo? Mom-and-pop-shops? National Parks?

Montana has all of that and a whole lot more. I like to think that we have a good amount of "old school" while also embracing tech. Of course, one of the things that has been part of the Montana story from the beginning is ranching.

READ MORE: What's the best thing about growing up in Montana?

For many outside of Montana, their idea of ranching here in Big Sky Country came from watching episodes of Yellowstone. While I'm sure there was some truth in the show, most of that was for dramatic affect.

Although, it is true that Montana's biggest ranch owners are billionaires not from Montana.

Who owns Montana's biggest ranches?

According to data from, the 3 biggest ranch owners are folks who've made their money in other venues. The Top 3 with the most land are Rupert Murdoch, the late Ted Turner, and Stan Kroenke. While many might be familiar with those names and the businesses they're involved with, for those who aren't, we will break it down.

Both Murdoch and the late Turner were media moguls. Murdoch owns Fox News and other media outlets while Turner once owned CNN, TBS, TNT, and others. Kroenke was a small town kid who did pretty good for himself.

He married one of the Waltons from the Wal-Mart Waltons and he and his family own multiple sports teams including the Rams, the Nuggets, and the Avalanche.

So, which ranch is the biggest in Montana? That would be the Matador-Beaverhead Ranch near Dillon with over 400 thousand acres. Next up, Mr. Kroenke owns the Broken O Ranch near Augusta, which is 124 thousand acres.

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Finally, there is the late Mr. Turner's Flying D Ranch which is just outside of Bozeman.