Monetary Matters with Jack Farley The Ultimate Hard Asset: American Farmland and The 300-Year Water Supply Hidden Underneath It | Chris Morris LandFund Partners
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Mar 17, 2026 Chris Morris, president of LandFund Partners and institutional farmland investor, explains why U.S. irrigated row‑crop land is a prized hard asset. He discusses groundwater security in the Mid‑South, farmland’s low correlation to markets, solar lease economics, and how AI and tech are boosting yields and values. The conversation also covers water rights, valuation gaps, and institutional demand for smaller family farms.
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Farmland Is Distinct From Traditional Real Estate
- Farmland behaves differently than other real estate types; correlations with hotel, multifamily, and office are low.
- Chris notes U.S. row crop farmland correlations are typically under 0.4 to those property indexes.
Protein Demand Multiplies Grain Needs
- Rising global GDP per capita increases protein demand, which multiplies grain demand for animal feed.
- Chris explains one meat serving can require 3–5x more grain, pressuring acres to deliver higher output.
Scale Farms By Partnering With Local Operators
- Improve farm NOI by pairing capital owners with local operators and scaling operations.
- LandFund buys farms and leases them to family operators so they can afford modern equipment and increase rental rates.