Bell Ranch (New Mexico) - History - Present Day

Present Day

In more modern times, the Bell Ranch has been known for the quality of beef cattle produced and the pioneering concepts that went into those herds. The concepts of "beef production testing" were laid down at the Bell under the guidance of longtime manager George F. Ellis (manager 1946 to 1970). Over time, the purebred Hereford stock were measured and selected to improve desirable inherited traits. The proven performance advances were significant and groundbreaking. Ellis would be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Beef Cattle Industry and honors from a host of other established organizations for his work.

In 1970 ownership of the largest single chunk—so large it has its own Zip Code, 88441—was acquired by William N. Lane II of Chicago, chairman and CEO of publicly traded General Binding Corp., a maker of office supplies and equipment. Further purchases of the original grant land have fleshed out the holding to its present size of 290,100 acres (1,174 km2). Lane himself died in a 1978 car accident on the ranch. The ranch is now owned by a trust for Bill Lane's five children. A non-family member manages the ranch, although one son, Jeff, raised his family on the Bell until August 15, 2007, when he was killed in the crash of the plane that he was piloting on the ranch. John Malone of Liberty Media, acquired The Bell Ranch from Chicago’s Lane family in 2010.

The Bell Ranch stands at 290,100 acres (1,174 km2) of the original 656,000 acres (2,650 km2) of a century and a half ago. The white faced red Hereford cattle of Ellis' tenure are gone. The present day herds feature of a cross consisting of the original Hereford, Red Angus, Gelbvieh, Brahman to create the "Red Bell" herd.