• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The College Investor

Student Loans, Investing, Building Wealth

  • About
  • Podcast
  • Research
  • Contact
  • Save For College
      • How To Start

      • How To Save For College
      • How To Pay For College
      • What Is the Average Cost of College?
      • What Is A 529 Plan and Where to Open One in Your State
      • How Much Should You Have In A 529 Plan By Age
      • How To Use A 529 Plan For Private Elementary And High School
      • What Are Qualified Expenses For A 529 Plan (And What Doesn’t Count)?
      • The Best Brokers To Open A 529 Plan
      • Tools + Accounts

      • 529 Plans: The Ultimate College Savings Plan
      • 529 Plan Contribution Limits
      • Prepaid Tuition Plans | What To Know
      • Understanding And Using 529A ABLE Accounts
      • Using A Roth IRA To Save And Pay For College
      • FAFSA Deadlines for Financial Aid
      • CollegeBacker Review
      • Upromise Review
      • UNest Review
      • Other Options

      • Student Loan And Financial Aid Programs By State
      • The Guide To Military And VA Education Benefits
      • How To Fill Out The FAFSA
      • How To Find College Scholarships
      • The Best College Scholarship Search Websites
      • How To Find Grants To Pay For College
      • Pell Grants: What They Are And How To Qualify
      • Understanding Federal Work-Study
      • How To Use A 529 Plan If Your Child Doesn’t Go To College
  • Student Loans
      • Borrowing

        • How Student Loans Work
        • How To Apply For A Student Loan
        • How To Find The Best Student Loans And Rates
        • Best Private Student Loans Of June 2022
        • Best Student Loans To Pay For Graduate School
        • Best Student Loans To Pay For Medical School
        • Parent Loans To Pay For College
        • No-Cosigner Student Loan Options
        • Guide To Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs)
        • Best International Student Loans
      • Get Out Of Debt

        • Best Places To Refinance Student Loans In June 2022
        • Best Student Loan Repayment Plans
        • Best Student Loan Refinancing Bonuses And Promotional Offers
        • Student Loan Forgiveness Programs (The Complete List)
        • The Full List Of Student Loan Forgiveness Programs By State
        • Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
        • Top Student Loan Scams
        • Average Student Loan Monthly Payment
        • Average Student Loan Debt By Year
      • Reviews

        • Credible Review
        • Splash Review
        • Ascent Review
        • Citizens Bank Review
        • Commonbond Review
        • Earnest Review
        • ELFI Review
        • Laurel Road Review
        • LendKey Review
        • SoFi Review
  • Investing
      • How To Start

        • How To Start Investing in High School
        • How To Start Investing In College
        • How To Start Investing In Your Twenties For 22 – 29 Year Olds
        • How To Start Investing In Your 30s For 30 – 39 Year Olds
        • How To Start Investing With $100 Or Less
        • How To Give Kids The Gift Of Stock
        • What Is Dividend Growth Investing
        • IRA Rollover Chart
      • Tools + Accounts

        • Best Online Stock Brokers
        • The Best Traditional And Roth IRA Accounts
        • The Best Robo-Advisors
        • The Best Investing Apps
        • The Best Places to Trade Options
        • The Best Places To Open A Health Savings Account
        • The Best Solo 401k Providers
        • The Best Self-Directed IRA Providers Of 2022
        • Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges
      • Reviews

        • Vanguard Review
        • Fidelity Review 2022: Still One Of The Best Online Brokers
        • M1 Finance Review
        • TD Ameritrade Review
        • Charles Schwab Review
        • Robinhood Review
        • Webull Review
        • Betterment Review
        • Wealthfront Review
  • Earn More Money
      • Extra Income

        • 15 Best Side Hustles You Can Start Earning With In 2022
        • 53 Side Hustle Ideas To Make Extra Money
        • 100 Ways To Make Money In College
        • 80 Ways To Make Money From Home (In Your Pajamas)
        • 5 Quick Money Making Ideas (That Take Less Than 1 Hour)
        • 10 Interesting Ways You Can Make Money Driving
        • High-Paying Side Gigs That Earn $1,000 or More Per Month
        • The 10 Best Money-Making Apps
        • Paid Surveys: Earn Money For Giving Your Opinion Online
        • 10 Crazy Ways To Make $10,000 You’ve Never Heard Of
      • Build Wealth

        • 35 Passive Income Ideas You Can Use To Build Wealth In 2022
        • 3 Ways To Make $50,000 Per Year Without Working With Passive Income
        • How To Become A Real Estate Investor With Just $500
        • 15 Best Online Business Ideas
        • How to Create Streams of Passive Income on a Limited Budget
        • Residual Income: 7 Super Smart Ways to Build It
        • The Most Common Multiple Income Streams
        • How To Become A Real Estate Mogul With Only $10,000
      • Reviews

        • Fundrise Review
        • RealtyMogul Review
        • FarmTogether Review
        • AcreTrader Review
        • Swagbucks Review
        • Survey Junkie Review
        • TopCashback Review
        • DoorDash Review
  • Personal Finance
      • Banking

        • Best High Yield Savings Accounts Of June 2022
        • 10 Best Money Market Accounts Of June 2022
        • 10 Best Free Checking Accounts In June 2022
        • The Best Bank CD Rates Of June 2022
        • 10 Best Business Checking Accounts In June 2022
        • The Best Online Banks Of June 2022
        • 5 Best Credit Unions Nationwide Of June 2022
        • Best College Student Checking Accounts In June 2022
      • Insurance

        • Best Life Insurance Companies
        • Renters Insurance
        • Car Insurance
        • Pet Insurance
        • Umbrella Insurance
        • Disability Insurance
        • Tuition Insurance
        • Travel Insurance
      • Credit Tools

        • Best Budgeting Apps
        • Cash Advance Apps
        • How To Get A Free Credit Score Report
        • The Best Credit Monitoring Services
        • Debt Settlement: Inside The Secret World
        • Credit Repair Explained: Should You Pay For Help?
        • Best Personal Loan Companies And Lenders
        • Online Loan Companies To Borrow From Home
      • Tax

        • Best Tax Software
        • Free Tax Software
        • IRS Tax Refund Calendar
        • Common IRS Questions and Errors
        • Federal Tax Brackets
        • Capital Gains Tax Brackets
        • 401k Contribution Limits
        • IRA Contribution Limits
        • HSA Contribution Limits
  • Forum
  • Search
Home » Investing » Alternatives » How To Invest In Farmland

How To Invest In Farmland

Updated: September 17, 2021 By Robert Farrington

Tweet
Share19
Share
Pin20
Email

At The College Investor, we want to help you navigate your finances. To do this, many or all of the products featured here may be from our partners. This doesn’t influence our evaluations or reviews. Our opinions are our own. Learn more here.Advertiser Disclosure

There are thousands of financial products and services out there, and we believe in helping you understand which is best for you, how it works, and will it actually help you achieve your financial goals. We're proud of our content and guidance, and the information we provide is objective, independent, and free.

But we do have to make money to pay our team and keep this website running! Our partners compensate us. TheCollegeInvestor.com has an advertising relationship with some or all of the offers included on this page, which may impact how, where, and in what order products and services may appear. The College Investor does not include all companies or offers available in the marketplace. And our partners can never pay us to guarantee favorable reviews (or even pay for a review of their product to begin with).

For more information and a complete list of our advertising partners, please check out our full Advertising Disclosure. TheCollegeInvestor.com strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. The information in our reviews could be different from what you find when visiting a financial institution, service provider or a specific product's website. All products and services are presented without warranty.

How To Invest In Farmland

Does your knowledge of farming start and end with Old MacDonald? Perhaps you live in an urban condo and work in a high rise. If so, you may think that farmland investing is not for people like you.

However, farmland investing offers a legitimate alternative investment asset class that could help you grow your wealth. But before you go looking for deals at the local county fair, you may want to consider how you can enlist experts to help you profit from farmland investing.

Here’s what you need to know about the asset class.

This article is sponsored by FarmTogether, an innovative way to invest in farmland. Check out FarmTogether here if the idea of investing in farmland excites you >>

Table of Contents
Is Farmland Really An Investment?
How Does Farmland Compare To Other Types Of Real Estate?
What Are The Risks?
What Role Can Farmland Play In Your Portfolio?
When Does It Make Sense To Invest In Farmland?

Is Farmland Really An Investment?

If you’ve driven through Nebraska, Iowa, the Dakotas or any big agricultural state, you’ve seen miles and miles of farms (not to mention, some under-appreciated beauty). Chances are you’ve not seen many “For-Sale” signs during your drive. So are these acres of fertile soil really available for investors?

The answer is surprisingly yes. In 1986, Warren Buffet famously purchased a 400-acre farm in Nebraska, and it grew in value despite several bad crop years. However, the asset class has typically been closed off to all but farmers, people in the agricultural field, and a few institutional investors like Buffet.

However, companies such as FarmTogether are making it easier for everyday investors to buy farmland for investing in purposes.

How Does Farmland Compare To Other Types Of Real Estate?

As an investment, farmland is best characterized as a type of real estate investment. Like “traditional” real estate, farmland can earn money in two ways.

First, farmland can be leased to farmers who will use the land to grow crops. Investors can earn money from ongoing lease payments. Second, the underlying value of the land may increase over time. Investors may earn additional money if they choose to sell the land.

As with real estate, the management of farmland can be very active or passive. For example, if you personally own 200 acres in Iowa, you could use the land to grow your own crops. You could also rent that land out to a corn farmer who would then use the land to grow crops. Finally, you could pay a management company to rent out the land for you.

Historically, investors needed to be knowledgeable enough about farmland to handpick a good deal. They also needed specialized knowledge to manage the land appropriately. Today, that is starting to change. There are a few publicly traded farmland REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) that allow typical investors to buy shares of a farmland portfolio. There are also companies like FarmTogether which offer direct, passive ownership opportunities.

What Are The Risks?

There are a few major risks associated with investing in farmland. The first risk is liquidity. If you own physical farmland, the land cannot easily be sold except by enlisting the help of a broker. FarmTogether and other private deal companies are similarly illiquid investments. The shares of the investment are generally liquid only once the company’s exit strategy is confirmed (for example, it sells the farm). However, the income received from these farmlands is in the form of cash and is obviously very liquid.

Note: FarmTogether is working to bring a secondary market to its platform later this year.

Publicly traded farmland ETFs get rid of the liquidity problem by being easy to buy and sell through online brokers.

The next risk associated with farmland is a knowledge problem. Unless you know the asset class well, it can be tough to buy land at a good price. If you overpay, you may be stuck with an underperforming asset for a long time. Those who are closely connected to the agricultural sector may mitigate this risk by only buying specific land that meets their personal criteria. Generally, publicly-traded ETFs get around this issue by having many buyers and sellers. In general, the imperfect knowledge of many buyers and sellers tends to lead to a reasonable price for the shares.

FarmTogether mitigates risks by partnering with agricultural industry experts and farmland management experts. By partnering, FarmTogether gains an understanding of the myriad risks associated with agriculture (such as lease prices, crop prices, crop types, water rights and more), and can bake those costs into deals. Since the company engages in deep underwriting and lots of due diligence, investors gain many of the advantages of expert insiders.

What Role Can Farmland Play In Your Portfolio?

As with all “alternative investments” including real estate, farmland should play the role of diversifier in your portfolio. Unless you’re truly a farming insider, you don’t want your entire net worth tied up in farmland.

However, farmland can be an asset that class that helps to smooth out volatility in performance. Unlike publicly-traded REITs that tend to have similar dips and spikes as stocks, the Farmland Index (NCREIF Farmland Index) tends to move differently than stocks.

Additionally, Farmland has historically yielded good returns. Between 2008 and 2018 the S&P 500 returned a 13.1% annualized return. The farmland index returned 11.2% annualized returns during the same time period.

Also, between Q4 2007 - Q1 2010, farmland didn't actually produce any negative returns. In fact, since 1991, farmland has only had 1 negative quarter (2001 Q1) where it delivered -0.01%.

Stocks dropped 52% during the 2008 crisis, whereas farmland showed growth throughout all of 2008. According to the NCRIEF Farmland Property Index, between Q4 2007 and Q1 2010, farmland continued to produce positive returns every quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2008 specifically, the worst quarter for U.S. stocks during the financial crisis, farmland returned 7.33%.

When Does It Make Sense To Invest In Farmland?

Unless you’re a farmer looking to invest in your business, it probably doesn’t make sense to buy a farm. However, a farmland investment could be a high-quality alternative investment in your portfolio. Once your investment portfolio starts to approach the mid-five figures or low six figures, diversification becomes very important. At that point, you may want to consider your asset allocation strategy, including alternative investments.

If it makes sense to add farmland to your portfolio, consider FarmTogether for your first farmland investment. It allows you to invest in direct farmland deals that are managed through a 3rd party. You get to enjoy the advantages of expert agricultural investment knowledge without having to drive through cornfields to find deals. The company doesn’t always have offerings available, because deals must meet the company’s strict guidelines.

You will need to be an accredited investor to invest through FarmTogether. That means you need to have at least $1 million in net worth (outside of your home), earn $300,000 as a married couple or $200,000 as an individual. If you don’t meet those requirements, a farmland ETF could be a better option to get started.

Check out FarmTogether here >>

Robert Farrington
Robert Farrington

Robert Farrington is America’s Millennial Money Expert® and America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him on the About Page, or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.

He regularly writes about investing, student loan debt, and general personal finance topics geared towards anyone wanting to earn more, get out of debt, and start building wealth for the future.

He has been quoted in major publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Fox, ABC, NBC, and more. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, or other advertiser and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comment Policy: We invite readers to respond with questions or comments. Comments may be held for moderation and are subject to approval. Comments are solely the opinions of their authors'. The responses in the comments below are not provided or commissioned by any advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any company. It is not anyone's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Subscribe
Connect with
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Primary Sidebar

Robert Farrington will teach you how to get out of student loan debt and how to start investing.

Hi! My Name is

America's Millennial Money Expert

Welcome to The College Investor. We're here to help you escape student loan debt so you can start investing and building wealth for the future

Our expert guides, reviews, and more are designed to help you achieve your financial goals.

Want to learn more? See what's in my wallet.

As Featured In

Social Media

Popular Posts

Side Hustling

53 Side Hustle Ideas To Make Extra Money

Best Side Hustles

15 Best Side Hustles You Can Start Earning With In 2022

Make Money From Home

80 Ways To Make Money From Home (In Your Pajamas)

Crazy Ways To Make $10,000

10 Crazy Ways To Make $10,000 You’ve Never Heard Of

Make $50,000 Per Year

3 Ways To Make $50,000 Per Year Without Working With Passive Income

Student Loan Scams

Top Student Loan Scams

Net Worth of Millennials

Average Net Worth Of Millennials By Age

Ways To Get Student Loan Forgiveness

Student Loan Forgiveness Programs (The Complete List)

Passive Income Ideas

35 Passive Income Ideas You Can Use To Build Wealth In 2022

529 Plan By Age

How Much Should You Have In A 529 Plan By Age

Ultimate Guides

529 Plan Guide

529 Plans: The Ultimate Guide To College Savings Plans

Student Loans and Financial Aid By State

Student Loan And Financial Aid Programs By State

Student Loan Advice

The Definitive Guide To Student Loan Debt: Everything To Know About Your Loans

Student Loan Forgiveness By State

The Full List Of Student Loan Forgiveness Programs By State

newretirement

How to Start Saving Now: The College Graduate’s Guide to Saving for Retirement

Latest Research

Institutional Merit Grants

Who Gets Institutional Merit Grants At Private Colleges?

Resume Student Loan Payments

Survey: Even With Higher Expenses, Most Student Loan Borrowers Are Ready To Resume Payments

Support From Parents Survey

64% Of Millennials Receive Support From Their Parents

undermatching at selective colleges

Undermatching: Why Do Smart Low-Income Students Not Enroll In Selective Colleges?

How Much Americans Pay To File Their Taxes

How Much Americans Pay To File Their Taxes

Footer

Who We Are

The College Investor is an independent, advertising-supported publisher of financial content, including news, product reviews, and comparisons.

Connect

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Press & Media

About

  • About
  • Our Team
  • Podcast
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • How We Make Money
  • Archives

Social

Copyright © 2022 · The College Investor · Privacy Policy ·Terms of Service · DO NOT Sell My Personal Information

wpDiscuz