Goldcrest Farm Trust
Goldcrest Farm Trust Advisors is a New York–based farmland investment manager that runs Goldcrest Farm Trust REIT, a privately held U.S. farmland REIT with over $800M in committed institutional capital across two vehicles and 95,000+ acres in six states, serving pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, farm sellers, and progressive farming tenants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSan Antonio, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Goldcrest Farm Trust does
Goldcrest Farm Trust Advisors (GFTA) is a New York–based farmland investment management company that manages Goldcrest Farm Trust REIT (GFTR), a privately held U.S. farmland REIT with over $800 million in long-term committed capital from institutional pension fund and sovereign wealth fund investors. The firm is led by Chairman Steven Feldman (formerly Goldman Sachs Infrastructure Partners) and President & COO Edward Hargroves (formerly SAC Capital and Duquesne Capital), and traces its lineage to AgCoA — the largest private U.S. farmland REIT that the team co-founded in 2007 and sold to CPPIB in 2013. GFTA has raised two consecutive $300M+ investment vehicles (GFTR I in 2015 and GFTR II in September 2019) and has acquired and improved more than 95,000 acres of high-quality row crop farmland across six states (Idaho, Oregon, Arkansas, Mississippi, Colorado, Arizona).
The platform operates a hybrid value chain: capital is sourced directly from institutional investors, farmland is acquired through broker networks and off-market channels with all-cash 30-day closings and minimum transaction size of $3 million, and acquired properties are leased to progressive farming tenants under medium- to long-term contracts covering 20+ crop types. The flagship 25,000-acre Goldcrest Farms property in southwest Arkansas — nearly twice the size of Manhattan — has been redeployed with Valley Irrigation center pivots, LESA/LEPA systems, soil moisture monitors, and the Valley 365 smart farm platform under a partnership with Valmont Industries. Revenue is generated through REIT management fees on AUM, transaction-related fees, farmland appreciation, and indirect lease income flowing through the trust structure to LPs.
Go-to-market is enterprise field sales: GFTA pursues pension funds and sovereign wealth funds for capital commitments while simultaneously deploying regional acquisition teams across the U.S. to source and close farmland transactions. The firm complements this with limited but targeted presence at industry events (Global AgInvesting, Wealthion Conference), media placements (Yahoo Finance, TD Ameritrade Network), and organic social channels (LinkedIn, Twitter/X) for thought leadership rather than lead generation.
Goldcrest Farm Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Goldcrest Farm Trust
- Legal name
- Goldcrest Farm Trust Advisors, LLC
- Website
- https://goldcrestft.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Goldcrest Farm Trust Advisors is a New York–based farmland investment manager that runs Goldcrest Farm Trust REIT, a privately held U.S. farmland REIT with over $800M in committed institutional capital across two vehicles and 95,000+ acres in six states, serving pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, farm sellers, and progressive farming tenants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Goldcrest Farm Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Farmland Investment Management
- NAICS
- Farm Management Services (115116), Open-End Investment Funds (525910)
- SIC
- Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Natural Resources — Farmland & Agriculture (FSAAAKAI)
Keywords
Where Goldcrest Farm Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Antonio
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Goldcrest Farm Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- REIT Management Fees: Goldcrest Farm Trust Advisors (GFTA) earns management fees from managing the Goldcrest Farm Trust REIT (GFTR), which has over $800mm in long-term capital from institutional investors including pension funds.
- Farmland Lease Income: GFTR generates recurring income through leasing farmland to progressive farming tenants. The REIT owns high-quality farmland across the US, with medium to long-term leases structured with operators farming over 20 different crops.
- Farmland Appreciation: GFTA generates returns through appreciation of acquired farmland assets, having closed approximately $1 billion of farmland transactions since 2007.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Minimum transaction size of $3mm for farmland acquisitions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Goldcrest Farm Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Goldcrest Farm Trust Advisors (GFTA) manages the Goldcrest Farm Trust REIT (GFTR), a privately held farmland real estate investment trust with over $800 million in long-term capital. The firm acquires high-quality irrigated row crop farmland across multiple U.S. states, leases it to progressive farming tenants, and provides farm sale-leaseback and transaction structuring services.
Product overview
Goldcrest Farm Trust operates as a unified platform consisting of Goldcrest Farm Trust Advisors (GFTA), the investment management entity, and the Goldcrest Farm Trust REIT (GFTR), a privately held farmland REIT with over $800mm in capital. The REIT has two investment vehicles: GFTR I (launched 2015) and GFTR II (launched 2019). GFTA manages Goldcrest Farms, a 25,000-acre flagship property in Arkansas with advanced irrigation infrastructure. Farm Services provides transaction structuring and leasing solutions to complement the investment platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Goldcrest Farm Trust REIT I (GFTR I) First farmland REIT investment vehicle, closed with over $300 million in commitments from institutional pension funds, used to acquire and manage high-quality row crop farmland across the United States.
- Goldcrest Farm Trust REIT II (GFTR II) Second farmland REIT investment vehicle, closed with over $300 million in committed capital from institutional investors for acquiring high-quality U.S. farmland.
- Farm Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 25-50% reduction in energy and maintenance costs through Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Goldcrest Farm Trust
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Goldcrest Farm Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Goldcrest Farm Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Valley Irrigation (Valmont Industries)coreValley Irrigation partnered with Goldcrest Farm Trust Advisors to transform neglected dryland into productive, sustainable farmland. The partnership involved installing 56 Valley center pivots with LESA/LEPA systems, 7 turbine pumps capable of 140,000 gallons per minute, 425,000 feet of underground pipeline, and integrating soil moisture monitors and Valley 365 smart platform. The irrigation infrastructure enables efficient water application while reducing evaporation and pumping costs for tenant operators.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Goldcrest Farm Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gladstone Land Corporation: Publicly traded farmland REIT that acquires and leases high-quality farmland to farmers across the US. Directly comparable in farmland acquisition and lease strategy but differs in public market access and broader crop/geographic diversification.
- Hancock Natural Resource Group (Manulife): Manages institutional timberland and farmland portfolios on behalf of pension funds and insurance companies. Directly comparable to Goldcrest Farm Trust's strategy of acquiring, improving, and leasing agricultural real estate for institutional investors.
- Farmland Partners Inc. Publicly traded farmland REIT with one of the largest portfolios of US farmland, leasing to farmers across multiple states. Closely comparable model to Goldcrest Farm Trust REIT, differing primarily in public listing, broader geographic reach, and smaller average deal size.
- Cottonwood Ag Management: Subsidiary of Cascade Investment (Bill Gates) that acquired AgCoA from CPPIB in 2017. Directly comparable as a large-scale institutional farmland owner/manager with a similar row crop focus and US footprint.
Emerging players
- AcreTrader: Technology-enabled farmland investing platform offering fractional ownership to individual and institutional investors. Comparable to Goldcrest in core farmland investing focus but differentiated by digital platform model and retail investor accessibility.
- Heitman (Real Estate): Real estate investment manager with growing agricultural real estate exposure alongside traditional real estate strategies. Comparable to Goldcrest in serving institutional investors seeking real asset exposure, with partial overlap in farmland strategy.
- Blue Sky Capital Management: Niche institutional farmland and agriculture investment manager focused on sustainable and responsible farmland investments. Comparable to Goldcrest in institutional farmland strategy but typically smaller deal sizes and emerging in scale.
Broad incumbents
- UBS Farmland Investors (UBS Asset Management): Institutional farmland investment platform managing timberland and farmland on behalf of global investors. Directly comparable strategy as an institutional farmland manager, operating as part of UBS's broad global asset management business.
- Prudential Agricultural Investments: PGIM's farmland investment arm managing a multi-billion dollar portfolio of US row crop and permanent crop farmland. Directly comparable business model of leasing institutional farmland to operators, operating as part of a much larger incumbent asset manager.
- TIAA (Nuveen) Agriculture Group: One of the world's largest institutional farmland investors with billions in AUM under management. Directly comparable to Goldcrest as a scaled farmland investment manager serving pension fund and institutional clients, but operates as a broad incumbent within a much larger asset management platform.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Goldcrest Farm Trust social profiles
Digital presenceGoldcrest Farm Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Goldcrest Farm Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Goldcrest Farm Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Goldcrest Farm Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Goldcrest Farm Trust
What does Goldcrest Farm Trust do?
Goldcrest Farm Trust Advisors (GFTA) manages the Goldcrest Farm Trust REIT (GFTR), a privately held farmland real estate investment trust with over $800 million in long-term capital. The firm acquires high-quality irrigated row crop farmland across multiple U.S. states, leases it to progressive farming tenants, and provides farm sale-leaseback and transaction structuring services.
Is Goldcrest Farm Trust a public or private company?
Goldcrest Farm Trust is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Goldcrest Farm Trust founded?
Goldcrest Farm Trust was founded in 2015.
Where is Goldcrest Farm Trust based?
Goldcrest Farm Trust is headquartered in San Antonio, United States, in the North America region.
How does Goldcrest Farm Trust make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. REIT Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are farmland Lease Income and farmland Appreciation.
Who are Goldcrest Farm Trust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gladstone Land Corporation, Hancock Natural Resource Group (Manulife), Farmland Partners Inc. and Cottonwood Ag Management. Emerging players are AcreTrader, Heitman (Real Estate) and Blue Sky Capital Management. Broad incumbents are UBS Farmland Investors (UBS Asset Management), Prudential Agricultural Investments and TIAA (Nuveen) Agriculture Group.
Does Goldcrest Farm Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for Goldcrest Farm Trust.
What industry is Goldcrest Farm Trust in?
Goldcrest Farm Trust's product category is Farmland Investment Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAAKAI, Natural Resources — Farmland & Agriculture. Its NAICS code is 115116 and its SIC code is 6532.