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 Insolvency company buys $135m in Murray-Darling farms 

Insolvency company buys $135m in Murray-Darling farms

11/08/2008 10:11:00 AM
Insolvency company PPB Group has spent $135 million in buying up financially distressed rural properties at the top of the Murray Darling Basin, according to the Australian Financial Review.

It reports today that the company has been trading as Australian Farms Investments, and that more acquisitions may be on the cards due to the impact of drought and interest rates on farm viability.

While those factors have hurt family farmers, the AFR reports that PPB chairman, Bill Moss, says there are strong returns available in agriculture.

"At the moment, everybody is too shell-shocked to do anything," Mr Moss told the Fairfax publication.

"But people who can stop worrying about the credit crisis are asking what are the big things in the next five or 10 years, and food is one of them."

Australian Farm Investments is raising another $160m to acquire financially distressed rural properties throughout NSW with a view to recapitalising them and making them profitable.

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Date: Newest first | Oldest first
So now the big players come in to take advantage of agriculture on its knees. Ultimately we will all wind up paying more for less. Governments have crippled agriculture through increased regulations, poor managment of resources, an a sycophantic approach to business diminishing funding and poor regulation of the supply ans demand side. The corporatisation of agriculture will spell the end of the family farm leading to a greater alienation of people and the earth. The factory of agriculture is now a reality where farming becomes a job and not a way of life, a great aspect of austrlia is dying in front of us. I guess there are just no votes in the bush.
Posted by the lorax on 12/08/2008 12:29:33 PM
I wouldn't be concerned about an insolvency firm being a long-term player in agriculture. Corporate farmers have a long history of performance falling well short of the larger family farms. And their investors have no sentimental attachment - as soon as another asset class looks like delivering better returns they're off! I suspect Mr Moss will get caught buying in high, finding he can't achieve anywhere near the operating returns of the best family enterprises and his investors will want their cash out around about when we've had a couple strong production seasons and global grain stocks have been replenished. Maybe sooner rather than later with production in the Ukraine and US and here already looking higher than earlier forecasts.
Posted by the oracle on 12/08/2008 6:24:57 PM
Drought has been a significant factor driving financial distress in agriculture in recent times, but not the principal factor.

The principal driver of this economic distress has been the policy of engaging in a unilateral pursuit of the mythical "free market", and the maintenance of that policy in the face of failure for nearly 25 years.

In doing this our dear leaders are taking us rapidly back to the social structure of medieval Europe. This turnaround has taken less than 40 years to accomplish.

We are now beginning to see again that the hallmark of the unfettered free market is the boom/bust cycle. However those "dear leaders" are so far removed from reality that they are not likely to recognise this.

Posted by Ted O'Brien on 12/08/2008 7:07:17 PM

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Q: Do you support the creation of a 'guest worker' scheme bringing in Pacific Islanders to counter Australian agriculture's labour shortages?

Yes
(69.1%)

No
(25%)

Undecided
(5.9%)

Total Votes: 508
Poll Date: 10/08/2008

11/12/2008 | Farm lobby groups will decide next week whether the future of farm representation will stay as it is or be broadened to bring in the big end of town.
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