May 13, 2024

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Peoples Company announced it has acquired the Atkins Group’s Farmland Management portfolio comprising holdings totaling 14,000 acres of farmland, and will consequently be opening an office in Urbana, Illinois, after years of sustainable growth in the region.

“The Champaign-Urbana area has some of the richest farmland in the country, and anyone in agriculture in Illinois knows the Atkins family and has deep respect for The Atkins Group. We’re thrilled to have the privilege to begin managing their expansive farmland portfolio and continue our growth in Illinois,” said Steve Bruere, president, Peoples Company.

As a high-profile leader in integrated land management, brokerage, appraisal, and energy solutions with offices serving all agricultural regions across the U.S., People’s Company is ideally suited as stewards of this newly acquired portfolio.

In 2018, Peoples Company launched its national strategy, building strong relationships throughout the industry with a coast-to-coast footprint, driving a core business model centering on brokering large-scale, sophisticated land deals, and the acquisition and management of investment-grade assets for institutional investors, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals.

A takeaway from the firm’s recently released white paper The Evolution of Farmland as an Asset, released by Steve Bruere, president, Peoples Company, and Ailie C. Elmore, instructor, University of Illinois, stressed that the long-term outlook for future returns from agricultural investment is undeniably positive. Agriculture will always be a necessity to not only feed a growing population, but increasingly to support growing and evolving energy production systems, as well.

As the industry continues to mature and become more financially and environmentally sustainable, and as technology is further adopted and data more readily available to support informed management decisions, agriculture will continue to be key to social stability and economic growth, making now a time for expansion.

And as Peoples Company expands, its new office in Urbana, Illinois, will be led by local, experienced land managers Jim Goss and Sophia Hortin.

“Having Jim and Sophia open our Champaign-Urbana office was an easy choice,” said Bruere. “They are perfect fits to continue growing our Illinois operation because of their deep knowledge of the state, focus on implementing strategies that both protect the land while maximizing productivity, ability to effectively bring land to market and experience building large land holdings on behalf of clients. Further, opening an office in the Champaign-Urbana area makes perfect sense as the University of Illinois offers an excellent research and talent pipeline.”

Goss began his career in land management at First of American Bank in Kankakee, Illinois, where he spent 12 years managing property for the bank trust company and several families. In 1999, he left National City Ag Services to start AG Farm Management with Clinton Atkins, who was a large client with holdings in Champaign, Piatt, and Douglas County, Illinois.

Goss helped Atkins grow the Atkins family farm portfolio to nearly 14,000 acres while continuing to grow an agency book of business with families he had worked with in prior years.

His management knowledge includes farm leasing, rental analysis, annual farm financial management/execution, farm plan creation/execution, USDA farm programs, farm loan analysis, and landowner reports. He is also very knowledgeable in crop production, especially corn, soybeans, and wheat, and has a background in beef and swine production.

Also leading the office will be Sophia Hortin, who is a graduate of the University of Illinois. Hortin began her career in land management as an intern for Clearview Farm, a regenerative and agriculture education project developed by the Aktins Group. She has management experience in speciality crops, corn, soybeans, and wheat, and has marketing experience that brings beneficial skills for achieving clients’ objectives for land sales and farmland management initiatives.

“Peoples Company has become known in Illinois for bringing an unparalleled approach to farmland management and brokerage through intensive and comprehensive programs, industry-leading marketing and technology, emerging energy rights management division, and a robust network of agricultural professionals positioned across the country,” said Goss. “We are excited to continue building on that foundation and further expand in Illinois.”

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and Agtech Intel News. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

*The content put forth by Global AgInvesting News and its parent company HighQuest Partners is intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only. All information or other material herein is not to be construed as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Global AgInvesting and HighQuest Partners are not a fiduciary in any manner, and the reader assumes the sole responsibility of evaluating the merits and risks associated with the use of any information or other content on this site.