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The incredible life of Food Network's 'Pioneer Woman' - who owns 433,000 acres and gets paid millions of dollars in government moneyhttps://www.businessinsider.in/the-incredible-life-of-food-networks-pioneer-woman-who-owns-433000-acres-and-gets-paid-millions-of-dollars-in-government-money/the-drummonds-efforts-are-apparently-helping-pawhuska-as-a-whole-according-to-thrillist-nearly-a-dozen-new-business-have-opened-over-the-past-year-or-so-and-the-towns-sales-tax-revenue-has-risen-33-across-all-businesses-/slidelist/61686478.cms2017-11-17T13:21:54+05:30

The incredible life of Food Network's 'Pioneer Woman' - who owns 433,000 acres and gets paid millions of dollars in government money

Nov 17, 2017, 13:21 IST

The Drummonds' efforts are apparently helping Pawhuska as a whole. According to Thrillist, nearly a dozen new business have opened over the past year or so, and the town's sales-tax revenue has risen 33% across all businesses.

The Drummonds have also purchased another building next door, for a mysterious separate purpose.

The Drummonds are currently in the process of renovating a building to open as an 8-room "boarding house" hotel.

This summer, the lodge by Drummond Ranch began offering free tours on select days.

Helping revitalize Pawhuska seems to be a new project for the Drummonds.

Up to 15,000 customers flock to Pawhuska every day to visit the site, waiting in line for hours, with some arriving as early as 5 a.m. to get into the restaurant.

Drummond and Ladd opened "The Mercantille" in Pawhuska, Oklahoma in 2016. "The Merc," as it is often called by Drummond and her fans, is a triple threat: bakery, deli, and general store.

However, Drummonds' aspirations go beyond food media.

She's written seven books and launched "The Pioneer Woman Magazine" in 2017.

In 2011, her show "The Pioneer Woman" debuted on the Food Network.

Drummond has long been known as a savvy businesswoman, telling the New Yorker in 2011 that her blog was a "thriving business."

Soon, The Pioneer Woman was one of the most popular blogs on the internet, winning for Best Photography and Best-Designed Weblog at the 2009 Bloggies.

Drummond specializes in unfussy comfort food, with dishes that are aimed at feeding a family.

As time went on, Drummond began to shift into more food photos and recipes — in part because that's what her readers loved.

In early posts, she wasn't aiming to reach many people — just keep her mom updated on the Drummond kids' lives. Her relaxed updates about day-to-day life read like Drummond is telling a story to a new friend, and she quickly amassed loyal followers.

Drummond started "The Pioneer Woman" blog in 2006, 11 years after she moved out to the country.

In 1995, Drummond married Ladd and moved out to the ranch. It was a rough transition — and one that wasn't helped by the fact that Drummond got pregnant on her honeymoon, and then had three more babies in the next seven years.

In fact, Lad was no simple cow poke. The Drummond family is the 23rd largest landholder in the US with 433,000 acres — roughly half the size of the state of Rhode Island. The US government has paid the Drummonds $24 million in rent over the past decade.

The couple's love for each other has been a constant on "The Pioneer Woman" since the blog's early days — and any photo of the Marlboro Man is sure to provoke comments of "lucky woman" and heart emojis on social media.

However, her plan to stick to city living fell apart when she met rugged rancher Ladd Drummond, who she calls "Marlboro Man" in her blog.

Drummond was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, an affluent suburb, but moved to Los Angeles to study broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California.

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