S1E13: Farmland Investing with Joelle Faulkner from Area One Farms

In this episode, Ginsler Wealth CEO, Brian Ginsler, speaks with Joelle Faulkner, Founder and CEO of Area One Farms.

Joelle is a multi-generation Canadian farmer. She is a Rhodes Scholar and Fulbright Scholar and obtained degrees in Engineering, Business, and Law from Western University, Oxford University and Stanford University. She was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, Canadian Private Equity Summit Emerging Leader, EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women and Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women: Future Leaders.

In 2013, Joelle combined her finance expertise with her farming knowledge and founded Area One Farms – which now has $450 million of committed and invested capital, and owns 140,000 acres of farmland in partnership with 28 farm partners in 4 provinces.

Brian and Joelle discuss what life is like for farmers today, the current global climate for farming, why farmers need partners like Area One Farms, and why investors should think about farmland as an asset class for their portfolios.

In this episode we discuss:

0:00 Disclaimers & Introduction

2:47 Introduction to Joelle & Area One Farms

6:07 Farming Today vs. 30 Years Ago

8:53 How Area One Farms helps Farmers

10:30 Economics Today of Farming in Canada

15:17 Farming and Property Changes

19:08 Why Farmers Partner with Area One Farms & Generational Farming

26:24 How does Area One Farms Improve the Land?

30:15 Why Invest in Farmland?

34:37 How does Area One Farms structure its investments?

41:56 Area One Farms & Environmental Social and Governance (ESG)

45:59 Area One Farms Achievements

47:40 Closing Thoughts

48:35 Outro

Note that past performance is not indicative of future returns, and nothing in this episode should be considered as investment advice.

The Unlimited Podcast is a Ginsler Wealth audio production. It is hosted and produced by Brian Ginsler, and edited and mixed by David McMillan.