One of the largest real estate investment management companies in the country announced the acquisition of a farming operation north of Poplar.
Macfarlane Capital Partners, a real estate investment management and development firm that acquires, develops and manages properties on behalf of some of the worlds largest pension plans and institutions, made a recent acquisition of 7,109 acres of prime farmland. This strategic investment reaffirms MCP’s commitment to providing access, impact, and growth in the farmland asset class.
The off-market transaction resulted from the proven partnership between MCP and farming operator Jeff Lodahl.
According to a press release, Lodahl and his team worked to establish a reputation as an expert in strategic operations in Eastern Montana.
“It took us 18 months and interviewing dozens of operators around the country to find Jeff,” said Mac Macfarlan, Managing Partner at MCP. “Jeff has built a very loyal team, with many employees boasting over 8 years of tenure, and operates his farms with excellence and integrity. We are so appreciative of our relationship with Jeff and our shared values and principles.”
This latest acquisition is part of farmland investment initiative MCP started in 2021 to bring access to direct farmland deals to its investors. While still relatively new to the sector, MCP was recently named the runner up for Farmland Fund Manager of the year by Agri Investor. MCP credits any early accolades to finding excellent farming operators and carefully introducing traditional real estate investors to the benefits of owning long term farmland.
“This has been a tumultuous time for our economy, and as a result, we’ve seen more investors seek out alternative investments that may not correlate with traditional assets,” said Trevor Hightower, Partner at MCP.
“Farmland investing has historically been a proven way to diversify and hedge against inflation with low volatility. We’re eager to continue bridging the gap between excellent farming operators and traditional real estate investment in the years to come.”
The acquisition of Poplar Farm brings MCP’s total farmland holdings to over 25,000 acres. In the immediate term the firm intends to aggregate a strategic portfolio of mid-sized high-yielding agricultural assets reaching a target size of 100,000 acres with carefully selected operating partners.
