Labor shortages and wage inflation are impacting the bottom line of nearly every industry, and agriculture is no exception. Despite continued automation in the industry, agriculture remains a labor-intensive business, with key tasks including planting, weeding, thinning, harvesting, and product transportation across the supply chain. Over the past few decades, the number of people working on farms has decreased by 70% across both family and hired farm workers, exacerbating the problem.
Read moreHarvest Returns: Supporting Women in Agriculture
Women make up 36% of the total population of U.S. farmers according to the USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture. Aside from female farmers, ranchers, and farm workers, women hold numerous roles in the agriculture industry. Some work to market agricultural products or services, educate students or the public, conduct important agricultural research, or hold executive positions in companies directly involved with agriculture. Women are a vital aspect of agriculture and this was evident at the Women in Agribusiness Summit.
Read moreBenefits of Adding Berries to Your Plate and Your Portfolio
There’s nothing quite as refreshing as biting into a perfectly ripe strawberry, or adding some satisfyingly round blueberries to the top of your yogurt. Berries are simply the perfect addition to your breakfast, snack, or dessert, purely for the taste factor. However, adding a tarty sweetness is not all that berries can do for you. The sweet treats are also a powerful superfood making them beneficial to your overall well-being. Consumers continue to make health conscious decisions when purchasing products, like freshly grown berry varieties, making them more popular among investors as well.
Read moreSponsor Spotlights Vol. 2
Commitment to a sustainable planet through supporting farmers is a key company value here at Harvest Returns. By connecting agriculturists with passive investors, we believe we can build a more resilient food system and help farmers stay in the business of farming. Our team is proud to share in our sponsors' success stories and continue to watch them grow every quarter.
Read moreHow Biodiverse Soil Can Diversify Your Portfolio
Integrity of the land is a vital aspect of agriculture. Farmers and ranchers strive to ensure the longevity of their resources. Oftentimes, this means helping restore soil ecosystems or making repairs to a disturbed landscape. This is where revegetation comes in. A regenerative practice, revegetation is used throughout areas that have seen damage due to urbanization, invasive weed species, mining, or other degradation like drought, flooding, or erosion. Revegetation is bringing biodiversity back to native soils, and here’s how it can also bring diversity to your portfolio.
Read moreSponsor Spotlights
Commitment to a sustainable planet through supporting farmers is a key company value here at Harvest Returns. By connecting agriculturists with passive investors, we believe we can build a resilient food system and help farmers stay in the business of farming. Our team is excited to bring a new blog series to highlight some of our sponsors every quarter. We are proud to share in their success stories and continue to watch them grow.
Read moreGiving Back to Veterans with Bear Hug Cattle Company
Bear Hug Cattle Company ranch in Montana
In 2021, Harvest Returns partnered with Bear Hug Cattle Company, a non-profit providing veterans with opportunities in the ranching community.
Together, the companies give veterans the resources, knowledge and funding necessary to be successful in the ranching industry. At BHCC, transitioning service members are offered a 10-week intensive course where attendees gain confidence in horsemanship, ranch tasks, basic ranch economics, and receive field training at historic operational ranches in the western U.S.
Read moreReel In Returns With Shrimp
Though it may be a new concept to some, aquaculture has been around for hundreds of years. Aquaculture, or fish farming, has grown to larger scales as the demand for seafood in a growing world has become prevalent to producers. On the global scale, aquaculture has seen a 50% expansion in the last 20 years. In the U.S., aquaculture produces numerous marine species, including oysters, clams, shrimp, seaweeds, and several breeds of fish. Most recently, shrimp farming has seen a rise in interest from investors for its numerous benefits.
Read moreSupercharge Your Portfolio with Mushrooms
They’re called superfoods for a reason, and they have the power to add value to both your health and your wealth. Specialty food items remain in high demand due to recent health trends, with growth in mushroom production being driven by consumer preferences. With some varieties reaching prices as high as $200 a pound, investors are starting to take notice, too.
Read moreA Flavorful Investment: Vanilla
They say variety is the spice of life, and what better way to spice up your portfolio than with a unique agriculture investment unlike any other? At Harvest Returns, our mission is to connect you with offerings you can’t find anywhere else. You may be seeking something a little different than the typical row crop or farmland investment to grow your wealth.
Enter vanilla.
She’s subtle, she’s sweet, but she packs a bold punch when it comes to diversifying your portfolio.
Read more5 Misconceptions Preventing You From Growing Your Wealth
Our sector of the world - food production, technology, and consumer preferences - is constantly evolving. The same is true of agriculture investors. A practice once thought to be reserved for the older, wiser, and weather is now more inclusive of all ages, demographics and backgrounds, but beginner investors may still be clutching to traditional stereotypes. We’ve compiled and worked through a list of five common investing misconceptions that could be preventing you from making that next investment to grow your wealth.
Read more2022 Agriculture Investment Trends
With 2022 right around the corner, our eyes are fixed on the new year and all it has to offer. Farmers and ranchers are modernizing food production to meet increased consumer interest in supporting local agriculture, and demand for sustainable practices continues to drive buying preferences. We’ve compiled a list of the top 5 agricultural investment trends you’ll want to keep in mind if diversifying your portfolio is one of your New Year resolutions.
Read moreInvesting in Precision Agriculture: Challenges & Opportunities
As the globe’s population continues to grow consuming more and more resources, and available land decreases, farmers need to maximize their efficiency. From 2014 to 2018, the United States lost over 14 million acres of farmland. Precision Agriculture (PA) is a farm management concept based on observing, measuring, and responding to variability in crops, both inside a field (intra-field) and outside (inter-field). PA solutions often include specialized sensors, software, and cloud-based services. PA sensors in fields can measure parameters such as moisture content, air and soil temperature. Satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) can provide growers with real time multi-spectral imaging of their fields and even individual plants. This information can be processed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and machine learning to assist a farmer in making decisions, such as how much soil additives and irrigation to apply in order to increase profitability and sustainability.
Read moreFive Superfood Investment Trends for 2021
Nearly everyone has seen an advertisement for some sort of “superfood” that promises numerous health benefits packed into a single fruit or vegetable. Besides these claims, superfoods can make an attractive addition to an investment portfolio seeking diversified returns.
Read moreInvest in Agtech to Combat Food Inflation
As the agriculture industry evolves, so does the agriculture investment space. We’ve moved beyond simply investing into a crop and gaining returns from the yields. As equity crowdfunding in agriculture progresses, new investment opportunities arise. AgTech investments have exploded over the last half decade, with more exponential growth expected within the coming years.
Read moreInvesting in Hardy Hazelnuts
Tree crops have proven themselves as a sturdy investment option that can bring an investor returns for years to come. Though in more recent years, hazelnuts have held their ground as a tree crop that has increased in global demand, generates an appealing risk/return profile, and has rightfully earned its spot as the fifth largest nut crop in the world.
Read moreThe Thriving U.S. Lamb Industry
Lamb is a small component of the overall U.S. animal protein market, but one that is rapidly growing in importance. Approximately 300 million pounds of lamb are sold annually in the United States, with the majority of the product imported from Australia and New Zealand. In the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture, last conducted in 2017, there were 101,387 sheep operations (both wool and meat) in the U.S., an increase of 15% from five years prior.
Read moreFamous Investors Growing Wealth with Agriculture
When building a portfolio, you may be tempted to stick with traditional stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds and stay away from nontraditional investment opportunities. For many, the idea of investing in agriculture is unfamiliar and seems too unconventional since it does not receive as much attention in mainstream investment discussions. Yet investments in farmland and timberland are much more common than you think, as many of the world’s largest investors already understand the benefit of agricultural investing and how it can help them preserve and grow their wealth. Not only do these investments offer steady returns and desirable tax benefits, they can offer investors a chance to pursue their dreams of owning farms or ranches.
Read moreAquaculture Investments: Making a Splash in 2022
The rising human population has unsurprisingly led to a boom in the demand for seafood. Consequently, the ocean is being rapidly depleted, not only reducing the seafood supply, but also negatively impacting ecological systems and reducing biodiversity. The rising need for animal protein, which is expected to increase by 52% by 2050, can only be met by farming fish. Aquaculture, which is the controlled breeding and harvesting of aquatic organisms, creates alternative sources of seafood for the growing population.
Read moreHow to Expand Your Farm with Equity Crowdfunding
It’s not uncommon for farmers, ranchers, and landowners to fall victim to a foreclosure from the bank. In fact, there was a 40% decline in net farm and ranch income in 2015. So what other options can you visit before giving a bank control of your land? Trading some of your land equity for cash from an investor may be the best decision you make.
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