Sale of Bell Ranch could mark 'ranch boom,' says Forbes

The Bell Ranch in northeastern New Mexico was sold August 17, according to Forbes.com. The 290,100-acre ranch was listed at $83 million, and the rumored buyer is cable billionaire and Liberty Media chairman John Malone, reports Forbes writer Monte Burke. The sale is the largest in the American West in 60 years.Burke writes:The Bell Ranch is an iconic western property, originally granted in 1824. The ranch can carry 5,000 grazing animals, has excellent hunting for trophy mule deer and has it's own airstrip.But the greater significance of this sale is that it may herald the beginning of a ranch boom, similar to the one in the 1980s that was kick-started by Ted Turner's $20 million purchase of the Flying D Ranch in Montana.High profile properties still on the market include a couple Hall and Hall listings. Software billionaire Tom Siebel's N Bar Ranch in Montana is listed at $45 million, and the 80,000-acre G Hanging Dash is listed at $32.5 million. Four of the best trout rivers come together at the G Hanging Dash, which is located in Twin Bridges, Montana.Hall and Hall is a ranch real estate company that emphasizes land stewardship.