WisdomTree Acquires Ceres Partners–What It Means for Farmland Access and Private Capital

This past Friday, $127 billion global asset manager WisdomTree announced it will acquire Ceres Partners, a U.S.-based farmland investment firm managing approximately $1.85 billion in assets. The acquisition—valued at up to $500 million, including performance-based earnouts—is the latest signal that U.S. farmland is entering a new phase of institutional adoption.

At FarmTogether, we view this transaction as a strong endorsement of the long-term fundamentals underpinning the asset class. It reinforces a broader trend: the professionalization of farmland investing and a growing demand for alternative assets with income predictability and inflation protection. The deal also provides a clear valuation benchmark for scaled farmland managers and underscores how institutional buyers are pricing growth, fee durability, and long-term return stability.

However, it also brings to light an important structural distinction—farmland access remains largely limited to institutional investors, despite rising interest from accredited individuals, family offices, and RIAs.

A Strategic Entry into Private Markets

WisdomTree, which manages its $127 billion primarily in public market strategies, is acquiring Ceres Partners as part of its broader expansion into private markets and real assets. The transaction includes $275 million in upfront cash, with up to $225 million in earn-out consideration contingent on five-year revenue growth of 12% to 22%.

Through the acquisition, WisdomTree gains a portfolio of more than 545 farmland properties across 12 U.S. states and exposure to adjacent opportunities in solar leasing, water infrastructure, and agricultural technology. The firm expects the transaction to be immediately accretive and aims to grow farmland AUM by $750 million by year-end 2030. Management has also indicated that farmland may be integrated into model portfolios or tokenized investment products via WisdomTree’s digital asset platform.

Why This Moment Matters

This deal underscores two developments shaping the future of farmland investing:

1. Institutional Capital Is Scaling Into Farmland

Farmland is no longer viewed as a niche or alternative holding—it is increasingly recognized as a foundational component of diversified real asset portfolios. With U.S. farmland valued at approximately $3.5 trillion^[1], and less than 2%^[2] held by institutional owners, the growth runway remains significant. The WisdomTree–Ceres transaction affirms the long-term investment case for the asset class: stable cash flow, low volatility, and inflation sensitivity.

2. The Access Gap Is Widening

While institutional demand continues to accelerate, access for private investors remains constrained. Most farmland funds, including those operated by firms like Ceres, are structured for institutions—offering high minimums and limited transparency. At the same time, private wealth clients are increasingly seeking exposure to real assets that provide yield and long-term appreciation. This mismatch reinforces the importance of investment platforms built specifically to bridge high-quality farmland with private capital.

FarmTogether’s Distinctive Role in a Shifting Landscape

FarmTogether serves both institutional and private capital, with a platform designed to meet the needs of family offices, RIAs, accredited individuals, and institutional allocators alike. We aim to deliver the same caliber of agricultural investments long available to large institutions, packaged in structures that reflect the evolving demands of private wealth clients.

While traditional farmland managers have focused primarily on institutional LPs, FarmTogether has built a robust platform for the private wealth channel—a structurally underserved segment with growing demand for alternative, income-generating assets. This approach fills a critical gap in the market, enabling investors of varying profiles to access professionally managed farmland portfolios with institutional rigor.

Our differentiated approach includes:

• A flexible platform of investment options, from crowdfunded single-asset deals to 1031 exchange-eligible properties, the Sustainable Farmland Fund, and customized Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs).
• Rigorous due diligence and underwriting, led by a seasoned investment and asset management team with deep agricultural expertise.
• A technology-first experience, offering transparency, performance tracking, and reporting designed for today’s investors.
• Diversified LP base, with over 1,900 active investors across multiple investment vehicles, supporting durable capital flows and reducing top-client concentration risk.

In contrast to traditional institutional farmland funds—which often pool capital into closed-end vehicles with limited investor visibility—FarmTogether emphasizes access, flexibility, and alignment. Our distribution engine, fully built for the wealth channel, includes integrated onboarding, KYC/AML, and reinvestment infrastructure that is difficult to replicate and highly scalable.

Further, our investment focus on permanent crops, which require greater operational and agronomic expertise, creates a defensible niche relative to row crop–focused peers. The permanent crop segment not only demands deeper diligence, but also presents fewer competitive threats due to its complexity.

What This Signals for the Road Ahead

The WisdomTree–Ceres acquisition is part of a broader institutional trend—but it is also a reminder that the future of farmland investing will not be one-size-fits-all. As farmland becomes more visible to the mainstream investment community, the need for differentiated platforms that serve both institutional and individual investors will continue to grow.

FarmTogether is helping define that future. Our model combines institutional-grade sourcing and underwriting with tailored access models designed for today’s investors—whether they manage $5 million or $500 million.

We welcome this next chapter for the asset class—and remain committed to ensuring that access to it continues to expand.

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The information presented herein is based on publicly available data as of August 2025. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer to buy or sell securities.