The Texas General Land Office has purchased a more than 353,000 acre private ranch in West Texas’ sprawling Big Bend region that had been listed for sale at more than $245.6 million.
The GLO confirmed the news to Marfa Public Radio on Tuesday after it was first reported by The Land Report magazine.
The Brewster Ranch – a sprawling collection of more than 28 smaller land parcels in some of the state’s most rugged and remote areas near the Rio Grande – was put up for sale by Tennessee billionaire Brad Kelley in 2019.
Prior to the sale, Kelley had been the largest landowner in Texas.
King Land & Water, the real estate firm which brokered the sale, described the ranch in its listing as “one of the most important ecologically significant intact properties on the market today.”
State officials did not disclose a final sale price.
Real estate agent James King, who was involved in the deal, told Marfa Public Radio that it amounts to “one of the most significant land acquisitions in the history of Texas.”
The sheer size of the deal naturally raises questions about what Texas intends to do with the ranch, especially given the ranch’s uniquely pristine location in a corner of the state that’s home to Big Bend National Park and multiple state-owned public land holdings. The state’s purchase of the ranch does not necessarily mean it will be open to the public.
The Texas General Land Office manages millions of acres across the state, leasing the land for commercial uses ranging from agriculture to oil and gas and other projects. Proceeds help fund the state’s public school system.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in a statement she was “proud to have acquired this beautiful property for the State of Texas.”
Buckingham also referenced Texas Republicans’ growing concerns in recent years about companies connected to foreign nations – primarily China – purchasing land in Texas, something state lawmakers have attempted to block in recent legislature sessions.
“By securing this large swath of land along our southern border, the GLO is not only blocking foreign adversaries from purchasing this land but also ensuring this mineral-rich property will be generating revenue for the school children of Texas,” she said.
The GLO did not specifically comment on whether or not any such “foreign adversaries” had attempted to buy the Brewster Ranch, but said “there was another party interested in the acquisition of this land.”
No clear plan for the land
Asked about the agency’s plans for the land, Buckingham said via email that, in addition to “conservation benefits” from the acquisition, there are “many types of leasing options available including but not limited to hunting, agriculture, mineral, and soil carbon sequestration.”
King said he had been involved in conversations with the GLO about multiple possibilities for the land.
“I’ve been told by the staff that they want to do something special here,” he said. “They want to look at ranching, they want to look at restoring, they want to look at opportunities like maybe a hunting lodge, or VRBO, hiking, camping.”
For West Texas, King said, the sprawling ranch’s history in recent years is a notable bucking of the statewide trend of land parcels being split up into smaller segments, which conservationists say negatively impacts wildlife and ecosystems.
“Most of Texas is under threat of fragmentation, but this is a story about anti-fragmentation,” he said.
Much of the Brewster Ranch under Brad Kelly’s ownership was being leased to ranchers, which King said he expected to continue at least in the short-term.
Tuesday’s news of the acquisition came just as Buckingham announced the agency’s purchase of a separate ranch in South Texas that will be used for 1.5 miles of new border wall.
The land commissioner said on social media Tuesday that she had granted permission for wall construction to begin there within 24 hours of the GLO acquiring the land.
Only a relatively small portion of the Brewster Ranch extends to the actual U.S.-Mexico border – an extremely remote and federally protected section of the Rio Grande known as the “Lower Canyons” marked by steep canyon walls along the river.
“I am always proud to step in when needed to secure our southern border and will use every tool at my disposal at the General Land Office to do so,” Buckingham told Marfa Public Radio. “If it comes to my attention that there is a need to do so on this property, I will gladly ensure Texans are protected from this ongoing border crisis threat.”
In his conversations with GLO staff, King said he “never heard a word” about the prospect of a border wall in that area of the ranch.
“There’s already a wall there,” he said, referencing the rugged terrain. “This is not the area for border walls.”
Other segments of the ranch share a boundary with Big Bend National Park and the nearby Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
A TPWD spokesperson said the agency was not involved in the final acquisition of the ranch.
According to The Land Report, the Brewster Ranch once totaled more than 431,000 acres before three segments of the larger ranch sold separately in recent years.
King said, with the deal finalized, his own advice to the state or any entity thinking about the future of the land would be to establish an advisory board composed of agriculture groups, conservation interests and state agencies to strategize a path forward. Such an effort could involve a “massive inventory” of the ranch’s natural resources.
“It needs a real solid scientific-based inventory, so that you can then work on making really good decisions,” he said.
Editor’s note: King Land & Water is a financial supporter of Marfa Public Radio.
