Permanent Crops

The MD of Laguna Bay likened a land tax on foreign investors in Queensland to ‘kicking own goals’ and said it had ruled them out of further investment in the state’s farmland.

With warm-climate wine on a downward spiral, GoFarm is pressing ahead with its strategy of redeveloping vineyards for horticultural use.

Rural Bank’s latest agricultural outlook report finds that emissions will be a key focus for Australian farmers, while elevated freight costs will have a mixed impact on exports.

Managing director Pier Luigi Rossi says his firm is working to consolidate in an Italian market many investors find ‘interesting but scary’ as it seeks $200m for Fund II.

Farmland LP’s Craig Wichner says lower prices, water regulation and debt exposure discouraged institutional participation in the auction of almond assets managed by Trinitas Farming before its bankruptcy.

Annual cropping continue to strongly outperform permanent farmland in the Australian Farmland Index, although returns were still only slightly in positive territory.

Merricks Capital, which manages the A$470m Agriculture Credit Fund, will become part of ASX-listed Regal Partners in July 2024.

The Queensland-based fund will seek to deploy more capital in its home state, building on existing investments including the QLD Regional Livestock Exchange.

The firm manages a 306,000ha portfolio that is regeneratively managed and sequestered 100,000 tonnes of CO2 while emitting 30,400 tonnes.

A tighter market is likely to see more deals done based on economic fundamentals rather than hopes of capital gain, Rabobank says.