At The Money: Farmland Investing (Podcast)

The article highlights farmland as an attractive real asset class for institutional investors, citing its history of broad, non-correlated gains and its utility as a hedge against inflation, further supported by annually shrinking agricultural acreage. Brandon Zick, CIO of Ceres Farmland Fund (now part of Wisdom Tree), manages approximately $2 billion in these assets, underscoring significant institutional capital deployment in this sector.

Analysis

Barry Ritholtz looks at the people and ideas that shape markets, investing and business. Masters in Business Podcast • Browse all episodes At The Money: Farmland Investing At The Money Farmland Investing Farmland is a real asset that can be accessed through private funds. The asset has seen broad, non-correlated gains, hedged against rising prices. And farming acreage shrinks every year. Brandon Zick is Chief Investment Officer of Ceres Farmland Fund (now part of Wisdom Tree); the fund owns and manages about $2 billion in agricultural land assets. Each week, “At the Money” discusses an important topic in money management. From portfolio construction to taxes and cutting down on fees, join Barry Ritholtz to learn the best ways to put your money to work. Oct 08, 2025 Farmland is presented as a compelling real asset class for institutional investors, notable for its history of broad, non-correlated gains. This asset offers a robust hedge against rising prices, a critical attribute in the current inflationary environment. The ongoing annual reduction in agricultural acreage further underscores the asset's scarcity and potential for value appreciation. Significant institutional capital is already deployed in this sector, as evidenced by Ceres Farmland Fund (now part of Wisdom Tree), which manages approximately $2 billion in agricultural land assets under CIO Brandon Zick. This scale highlights the growing institutional acceptance and operational capacity within the farmland investment space. The moderately positive market impact score of 0.35 suggests growing, but not yet widespread, market recognition of this trend. The acquisition of Ceres by Wisdom Tree (WT) with a positive per-ticker sentiment of 0.7 indicates a strategic move by a public entity into private real assets, potentially broadening access for a wider investor base. The overall strongly positive sentiment (0.75) surrounding farmland investing reflects optimism regarding its performance characteristics and long-term viability. This strategic alignment aligns with themes of private markets, inflation hedging, and commodities.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors should evaluate strategic allocations to real assets like farmland, noting its history of non-correlated gains and inflation-hedging capabilities in the current economic climate.
• Consider private fund structures for gaining exposure to agricultural land, observing the significant institutional deployment and operational scale exemplified by Wisdom Tree's Ceres Farmland Fund.
• Monitor the performance of Wisdom Tree (WT) for insights into public market strategies to access private real asset opportunities and the broader institutional interest in this growing sector.