IN THIS special report, AgJournal reveals who owns Australia’s largest agricultural property portfolios.
THE following 10 investors may not be the biggest, but they play a huge part in Australian agriculture.
1. TIAA-CREF GLOBAL AG PROPERTIES
This North American teacher superannuation fund owns a reported $1 billion worth of farm and water assets, with more than 250,000 hectares of cropping country across more than 60 farms in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Western Australia.
Portfolio includes Cobran Station at Hay, NSW.
2. RURAL FUNDS GROUP
The ASX-listed company owns a diversified portfolio — including beef stations, almond and macadamia orchards and vineyards — which are leased to operators. Its assets are valued at $923.1 million.
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3. WEBSTER LIMITED
Australia’s fourth-oldest company, founded in 1831, with cropping (17,670 hectares), livestock (320,000 hectares) and orchard (3000 hectares) ventures in southern NSW, South Australia and Tasmania.
Assets are valued at $760.4 million.
4. WARAKIRRI ASSET MANAGEMENT
Under the chairmanship of Peter Promnitz (pictured), Warakirri owns and operates 80,000 hectares of cropping farms in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Western Australia and 4600 hectares of dairy farms in Victoria and South Australia.
It also has a stake in Daybreak Cropping, with 32,750 hectares.
5. AUSTRALIAN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
Owned by Colin Bell (pictured) and family, of Bell Securities fame, Australian Food and Agriculture has more than 220,000 hectares of cropping and grazing country.
Its empire includes the historic Boonoke and Wanganella properties north of Deniliquin in NSW.
6. LAWSONS GRAIN-VIRIDIS AGRICULTURE
A Macquarie-backed cropping fund with a combined 170,000 hectares of cropping land in NSW, South Australia and Western Australia. Viridis made its first purchase in January 2018 with 16,700 hectares in Western Australia.
7. MICHAEL HINTZE PREMIUM FARMS
Owned by Australian-born UK hedge fund manager Sir Michael Hintze (pictured) operates more than 40 properties across 16 aggregations and 65,000 hectares in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
Lamb, wool, beef, wheat, cotton and sugar are produced.
8. AUSTON CORPORATION
The Australian arm of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board.
It owns about $400 million in almond and avocado farms in South Australia and Victoria, and under the guidance of chief executive David Goodfellow (pictured) plans to expand its agriculture base in Australia by another $600 million.
9. PSP INVESTMENTS
The pension fund for Canada’s Public Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It owns Daybreak Cropping in partnership with Warakirri across four properties of 32,750 hectares.
Last year PSP paid $208 million for 44,167 hectares in southern NSW.
10. RIFA SALUTARY
The Australian arm of Chinese beef importer Zhejiang Rifa Holding Group, which is also involved in sheep production in northwest China. It has a portfolio of 23 farms including the 22,550-hectare Cooplacurripa Station at Gloucester in NSW.
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