Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that wildfires burned a record 10,125,149 acres across the United States last year. The 2015 total eclipsed the previous record, which was set in 2006. Of last year’s blazes, more than 50 exceeded 50,000 acres,…
The Department of Agriculture is projecting that 2015 will mark another down year for American farmers and ranchers with agricultural sector production projected to fall 9.2 percent to $427 billion. Contributing factors include increased global competition and a slowdown in…
The United States Department of the Interior along with the Department of Justice have agreed to a proposed $940 million settlement to resolve a quarter-century-old legal dispute with Native American tribes. At issue: costs for programs the federal government mandated…
Institutional investors back privately held REIT. San Antonio-based US Farm Trust announced on Aug. 13 that it has closed on over $300 million in commitments from institutional investors. The real estate investment trust (REIT) was established to acquire and manage…
Each year an average of 57,900 job openings are created in agriculture and renewable natural resources, yet only 35,400 college degrees in agricultural-related fields are awarded in the U.S. This leaves a shortfall of 22,500 positions. According to the USDA,…
The Economist is reporting that broad demographic trends are driving more and more investors, including sovereign funds, to consider investments related to ag land and increased productivity. “Institutional investors such as pension funds see farmland as fertile ground to plough,…
One of the focal points of our August Newsletter is the continued interest in land as a productive asset, especially given the solid returns investors have been realizing. So many drivers are powering this upswing: lackluster yields in the bond…
