December 2021

2021 was an eventful year for US Agriculture. We are especially thankful for our team of talented individuals, the clients we serve, and the exceptional tenants and farm management teams we have in place. This year, we furthered our efforts in sustainability, purchased quality assets from across the US, and added three new members to our team.

While the list below is not exhaustive, we want to share some highlights from the year. In 2021, we:

• Enrolled all our acres in the Leading Harvest Standard, a third-party audited certification that provides assurance for the sustainability of farmland management. Our announcement and more information can be found here.
• Added a new client investing in farmland that is being managed to build upon the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and we released our vision for sustainability here.
• Hired three new team members, bringing our staff total to twelve. Visit our team page to learn more about Colton Schlemme, Dirk Schuil, and Drew Bridges
• Evaluated over $1 billion in potential farmland acquisitions and now manage farmland in 14 states across the US.
• Discussed farmland as an inflation hedge with investors and released a paper on farmland’s inflation sensitivity, which can be found here.
• Volunteered at the Midwest Food Bank of Indianapolis to help the community and raise awareness about food insecurity. We made a donation in honor of US Agriculture’s success and to further the Midwest Food Bank’s impactful efforts.

While 2021 was not without its challenges, we are encouraged by the efforts of our team to secure quality farmland and tenants on behalf of our valued clients.

May your table be full this holiday season, and may you find time to reflect and recharge heading into 2022.

Kempen Capital Management (“Kempen”), a leading asset manager headquartered in the Netherlands, announced the launch of a global sustainable farmland strategy earlier this year. The strategy primarily invests in land that produces annual and permanent crops and will be diversified across OECD countries. In addition to seeking attractive returns, the global farmland strategy was developed to deliver improvement across five of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, responsible consumption and production, climate action, and life on land. US Agriculture, an investment firm focused on acquiring and managing quality farmland assets, has partnered with Kempen to help execute the strategy in the United States.

Given US Agriculture’s deep experience in farmland, the firm has a network of farmers with strong convictions about sustainable farming practices and a desire to grow their operations. US Agriculture creates a sustainability plan for each portfolio property that includes meaningful impact goals measured and reported annually. At the beginning of 2021, US Agriculture also enrolled all its acres in the Leading Harvest Standard, a third-party audited certification providing assurance that sustainable farming practices across many environmental, social, and governance issues are being applied.

The partnership with Kempen allows US Agriculture to accelerate its commitment to promoting more sustainable outcomes and ensuring resources are preserved for future generations.

“The Kempen team shares our passion for agriculture and understands the multitude of challenges US farmers face producing and supplying the worlds food, fiber, and fuel. We are one part of Kempen’s global management team and thrilled to collaborate with other sustainable-minded farmland managers. Kempen’s long-term and global perspective, coupled with a commitment to invest in technologies and enhancements that will improve soil, water, air, and humanity in general, aligns well with US Agriculture’s purpose to improve our world through excellence and continuous improvement,” said David Martin, Managing Director of US Agriculture.

“Despite the distance and global pandemic, Kempen’s team has been very involved in understanding our plans to make individual properties better. We’re committed to working with farmers who know profitability and sustainable farming practices are not mutually exclusive. And that’s critical to improving the soil, water, and air on and around the properties we manage,” said Clint Leman, CFA, US Agriculture’s Director of Portfolio Management.

For more information, please visit www.us-agriculture.com or contact Evan Newton, CFA, at evan.newton@us-agriculture.com.