Chris Janiec
bfinance director Guy Hopgood says investor demand in ag is being fed by the return of capital held in real estate and infrastructure vehicles nearing the end of their lives.
CEO Kevin Schwartz says the firm specifically targeted investors outside of its traditional base in the US and Europe, resulting in commitments coming in from institutions in China, Japan and the Middle East.
The vehicle secured $100m from the Vermont Pension Investment Committee and will aim to make farmland acquisitions averaging $20m across the US, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Poland, Romania and Chile.
The end of an unlikely surge in Iranian imports of US soy highlights risk that investors face when policymakers use ag to pursue unrelated goals.
Following its disposal of 555,000 Michigan acres, Weyerhaeuser’s plans for similar properties in Maine could provide clues as to whether the sale marks a shift in species preference.
Managing director Jonathan Logan says the firm’s debt strategy is focused on the junior loans that few other lenders offer to US agribusinesses.
FarmWise’s autonomous robots are already being used by customers to carry out weeding and the company plans to use the Series A funds to add further farming capabilities.
Texas TRS senior investment manager Carolyn Hansard says the $152bn pension is revisiting the farmland market, in part because land could compliment existing investments with Paine Schwartz.
GIIN research manager Rachel Bass says grant capital is a good match for the incubators, accelerators and de-risking mechanisms that can be pivotal in encouraging investment across sectors in frontier markets.
Managing director Chris Chapman says the senior secured loan to Cooks Venture is one of three debt investments the firm has carried out in North America, where it sees increasing ESG investment opportunities.