“With the banking crisis and farm lending contracting, agribusinesses need flexible, creative financing, now more than ever.”

Chris Rawley
Founder and CEO
Harvest Returns
.…on his company reaching a $30 million milestone in agriculture investments.

Fort Worth-based Harvest Returns has found good soil to plant the seeds of investment success since its 2016 founding by Rawley and COO Austin Maness. The two military veterans created an online crowdfunding marketplace that brings agricultural producers together with investors, and today they announced that they’ve reaped a milestone: The company’s platform has reached the $30 million mark in funding more than 50 farms, ranches, and other agribusinesses.

In just one example from January, Harvest Returns helped Idaho’s American Beef Ranch complete a $470,000 raise for its grass-fed, grass-finished beef and lamb operation.

Harvest Returns says it has distributed over $7.1 million in returns to platform investors in its debt and equity offerings through its reported community of over 13,000 investors and more than 1,500 farms and agribusinesses.

As to Rawley’s Last Word above about the banking crisis and farm lending contracting: “Our private credit deals solve that problem for farmers and ranchers,” he said in a statement, “while at the same time providing high yield, secured income for our investors.”

The company says its investment portfolio includes “indoor controlled environment farms, early-stage agriculture technology companies, regenerative livestock operations, and other niche agribusinesses.” And it says the demand for its “curated, risk-adjusted opportunities in a compelling asset class previously inaccessible to individual investors” continues to rise.

From 2020 through 2022, the weighted average returns of Harvest Returns’ private credit livestock offerings was 12.9%, the company says, bettering the average return of the S&P 500 Stock Index during the same period. [Graphic: Harvest Returns]

Harvest Returns has offered private credit investments in sustainable livestock production on its platform since 2017, and says “they remain some of the company’s most popular and successful vehicles.” The investments are collateralized with real assets, including land, farm equipment, and livestock inventories. As shown in the graphic above, from 2020 through 2022, the weighted average returns of Harvest Returns’ private credit livestock offerings was 12.9%*, bettering the average return of the S&P 500 Stock Index.

You can learn more about Harvest Returns’ beginnings by reading our 2018 profile.

For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.

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