240: AG Tech & Cattle Investing with Harvest Returns CEO Chris Rawley

Harvest Returns CEO Chris Rawley joins the show to talk about the different type of agricultural (AG) investments they offer. Harvest Returns has some unique investments including tech plays, indoor farming, cattle, aquaculture and more. Johnny and Derek discuss their thoughts on the food industry as a whole and whether they’d invest in these. The guys also do a quick followup on their car situations since they last spoke about them in ILAB 236.

While serving as a career naval officer, Chris Rawley visited dozens of war-torn and poverty stricken countries and began to appreciate the importance of agriculture to every single person on earth. As a professional investor with this new found appreciation, he decided to invest in a farm, but quickly discovered that these types of assets were inaccessible to the average person. The problem drove him to create Harvest Returns in 2016 to democratize investments in agriculture.

Rawley has held corporate management roles in Jones Lang LaSalle, Electronic Data Systems, L-3 Communications, and served as a defense consultant at Special Operations Command with Blackbird Technologies. He has invested in real estate and income-producing agriculture for nearly two decades. Rawley is an angel investor in early stage agriculture and food companies, including the Indian agriculture FinTech company Jai Kisan. He serves on the advisory board of the AgTech start-up AgroFides.

Rawley is a Captain in the Navy Reserve, serving as the Reserve Chief of Staff for United States SIXTH Fleet, and provides oversight for more than 500 sailors operating across Europe and Africa. During his 29 year military career, Rawley has filled a variety of leadership positions in naval, expeditionary, and joint special operations units afloat and ashore. He has deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Western Pacific. Rawley has a degree from Texas A&M University, earned an MBA at George Washington University, and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College. He is the author of Unconventional Warfare 2.0 and an avid water sports enthusiast.

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Where we are:

Johnny FD – Ukraine / IG @johnnyfdj Sam Marks – Barcelona / IG @imsammarks Derek Spartz – Los Angeles / IG @DerekRadio

Sponsor:

Netsuite
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Discussed

Harvest Returns Harvest Returns | Facebook Harvest Returns | Twitter Harvest Returns | LinkedIn Harvest Returns | Instagram

Like these investments? Try them with these special ILAB links:

ArtofFX – Start with just a $10,000 account (reduced from $25,000) Fundrise – Start with only $1,000 into their REIT funds (non-accredited investors OK)

*Johnny and Sam use all of the above services personally.

Time Stamp:

12:22 – How did  you get into the agricultural space? 16:08 – What are your thoughts on the US agricultural system as compared to other countries? 18:59 – How is the agricultural market correlated to the stock market? 21:58 – Was it harder to invest in agriculture 15 years ago? 23:26 – Can you expand on corporate farming and technology? 25:24 – How do prices of crops vary year-to-year? 28:19 – What is AG tech? 30:01 – Are there any particular animals you prefer to invest in? 32:16 – What are some examples of indoor agriculture? 36:34 – What concerns are there about climate change? 39:58 – How do you come across these deals? 41:02 – Who can invest and where can you invest and how much does it cost to invest? 44:08 – Approximately how much assets do you have under management? 46:42 – How are the returns on investments done? 47:34 – How would you say your company is different from your competitors? 49:21 – What investment are you really excited about?

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