WisdomTree, Inc. Acquires Ceres Partners in $1.85 Billion Farmland Management Agreement

The potential of farmland as a valued, sustainable asset class is a primary reason that WisdomTree, Inc., the New York-based global financial firm, has agreed to buy Ceres Partners, LLC, the South Bend, Indiana-based specialist investment manager.

Ceres Partners has prioritized food and agriculture since its Ceres Farms LLC fund launched in 2007. The investment fund, according to the company, would “identify, acquire and manage productive agricultural land.”

The company also has the Ceres Food & Agriculture Opportunity Fund that it describes as “a private equity fund vehicle that invests growth equity in diverse emerging operating companies in the food and agriculture sector.”

Farmland in 12 States Part of Acquisition

WisdomTree’s acquisition of Ceres adds $1.85 billion in assets for approximately 545 farmland properties that cover 174,000 acres across the United States. Row crop farmland comprises much of the fund.

 The farmland portfolio includes 12 states:

• Arkansas

• Georgia

• Illinois

• Indiana

• Kentucky

• Louisiana

• Michigan

• New Jersey

• New York

• Ohio

• Tennessee

• Wisconsin

WisdomTree currently manages approximately $128.5 billion in assets within its global portfolio.

RELATED: This iconic dairy farm sold for more than $5 million. It had not been available on the market for generations.

Ceres has delivered a 10.3% net annual total return on average during its 18-year existence, according to the release about the acquisition.

Two Corporate Leaders Respond to WisdomTree Purchase of Ceres Partners

“Farmland is one of the largest yet most underpenetrated real asset classes in the U.S., offering both scale and scarcity,” said Jonathan Steinberg, WisdomTree Founder and CEO, in a news release announcing the purchase of Ceres.

“This acquisition expands our leadership in innovative, income-generating investment solutions, while strategically accelerating our entry into private asset markets with a high-quality, scalable platform,” his statement said.

“It reflects our commitment to delivering differentiated exposures that drive long-term value for clients and stockholders alike. This strategic acquisition now positions WisdomTree to capitalize on the most significant structural growth opportunities in wealth and asset management today: ETPs, private markets, managed models and tokenization,” Steinberg added.

Perry Vieth, Founder and CEO, Ceres Partners, said in a statement, “We are proud of Ceres’ long-standing partnerships and legacy with farmers. Joining forces with WisdomTree marks an exciting new chapter for Ceres. For nearly two decades, we’ve built a differentiated farmland investment platform rooted in performance, operational expertise and a deep understanding of U.S. agricultural markets.”

Vieth added about the two companies’ new union, “This partnership brings product innovation, scale and distribution that will allow us to reach more investors seeking resilient, inflation-hedged and income-generating real assets. Together, we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the next wave of growth in farmland —including solar, AI data infrastructure and water—with a shared commitment to innovation and long-term value creation.”

RELATED: This new partnership launched earlier this year unites farmland opportunities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The coalition is described as a “global coalition of premier agricultural land and business firms focused on collaboration, sharing market insights, and connecting investors with opportunities in top agricultural investment regions.”