Farm Investment Fund Raises a Shocking $65 Million

Article by: Hari Yellina

Kilter Rural, an Australian agricultural investment fund, has collected an additional $65 million following a significant increase in farm valuations. The Bendigo-based investor and administration firm, which was established in 2004, has closed its Australian Farmlands Fund and now manages over $300 million in assets. Kilter oversees the management of 12,000 hectares of farmland in northern Victoria. The fund’s property portfolio has increased by 18% since June 2021, according to valuations. Kilter Rural’s new fund aims to invest in farms and water in a 50/50 ratio. The revised prices, according to the business, complement its strategy of investing in undervalued farmland regions with extremely secure irrigation water.

According to the investment firm, its portfolio would eventually consist of a dozen sites and approximately 4000 megalitres of water rights. Cullen Gunn, CEO of Kilter Rural, said there were tectonic shifts in the way money was deployed around the world, and Kilter was rapidly leveraging strong institutional interest, particularly from the northern hemisphere. “The growing support Kilter Rural is receiving from the investment community both here and abroad demonstrates that companies like Kilter Rural can acquire major investor backing, be a part of the solution, and still generate excellent returns,” Mr Gunn said.

Kilter Rural was founded in 2004 with the goal of making a profit while also making a difference by investing in agricultural, water, and environmental assets at scale. The Australian Farmlands Fund, established by Kilter Rural, aims to regenerate soils and farm systems for sustainable food production, large-scale biodiverse reforestation, and carbon sequestration.  Kilter Rural also has two open-end water investment funds: the Kilter Water Fund, which has an annualised return of 15% or more, and the Balanced Water Fund, which is an environmental impact investment fund managed in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and on track to deliver one of Australia’s largest private water donations this financial year.