Hedge Funds Investing in Farmland

Hedge Funds Farmland

New Hedge Fund to Invest in US Farmland


A couple of weeks ago I noted the closure of an art fund, and now another unusual hedge fund is opening.  Optima Fund Management has launched a fund investing in U.S. farmland.  The fund plans on purchasing as much as 10,000 acres in its first year, primarily in Arizona and underdeveloped vineyards in California.
The new vehicle is believed to be among only a handful of institutional investment funds to invest in arable land.  The $6 billion New York-based fund of hedge funds shop has raised $100 million for the American Farmland Co. The new fund plans to buy up to 10,000 acres in its first year, focusing on farmland in Arizona and underdeveloped vineyards in California.

“Farmland as an asset class has been historically overlooked by many investors, but U.S. farmland has generated returns exceeding 15% per annum in the past five years,” Optima chief Dixon Boardman told The Times of London. “Low debt in the farming sector has also contributed to its outperformance during the credit crisis."  Source

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