About Us

Farmland LP is a leading investment fund that generates returns by converting conventional commercial farmland to sustainable. Founded in 2009, we manage over 15,000 acres and more than $200 million in assets.

Our approach to acquiring and converting farmland relies on our unique operational expertise to enhance value in each of our farmland investments. We focus on generating competitive risk-adjusted returns while accruing benefits to stakeholders across the ecosystems in which we operate.

15,000+ acres of farmland

in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington

 

A better way to manage farmland

expertise in agriculture, soil biology, real estate, and farm management

 

10+ years investment track record

Vital Farmland, LP (Fund I) open to new investment – click Invest/Contact button for more information

 

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We’re proud to have been acknowledged as an industry leader by the following organizations:

Chinese kale growing on Straw in Vegetable garden.

Farmland LP is honored to be on the Certified B Corporation’s 2016 Best for the World list, which includes businesses that earned scores in the top 10 percent of more than 1,800 Certified B Corporations across all categories on the B Impact Assessment.

Each year, Fast Company’s recognizes the Most Innovative Companies that are transforming industries and shaping society. Farmland LP received this prestigious honor in 2014.

ImpactAssets annually identifies 50 experienced impact investment firms to help investors explore the landscape of potential investment options. Farmland LP is proud to have been recognized in 2015.

Milken Institute events welcome leaders in business, politics, public health, entertainment, and more. With annual convenings taking place around the world, the summits feature expert discussions on issues both regional and global, with a focus on programs and initiatives dedicated to solving social and economic challenges. Craig Wichner spoke on a panel at the Milken Global Conference 2022 titled "Nourishing People and Planet. How Healthy, Sustainable Diets Can Save the World".

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Meet the Leadership Team

Managing a sustainable farmland investment fund requires expertise ranging from business management to farm management, legal to livestock production, and finance to crop specialists.

Dean Underwood
Farm Manager, Oregon
Dean is the vineyard developer and manager for GSF. He has over 36 years of farming experience and has developed and managed our vineyards since 2005. Dean is well regarded as an expert in vineyard management and maintains a strong network across vineyard professionals throughout the vine value chain and academia. Dean has planted or managed over 3,000 acres from Northern California to the Pacific Northwest.
Dean Underwood
Farm Manager, Oregon
Frank Savage
Farm Manager, California

Frank manages Fund I’s 5,800 acres of farmland east of San Francisco; he is responsible for tenant relations, leasing, livestock management and farm infrastructure. Frank holds General Engineering and General Building contractor’s licenses and has over 25 years of professional experience in public works and water infrastructure, project management, construction and livestock management. A fourth-generation rancher, Frank grew up on a sheep and cattle ranch in Susanville, California.

Frank Savage
Farm Manager, California
Eoin Doherty
Senior Financial Analyst

Eoin works with fund and farm management to optimize financial and environmental returns. Previously Eoin helped develop business and financial models, raise funding, and generate the deal pipeline for a financial services startup in the renewable energy sector. Before that, Eoin was the Wildlife & Land Practice Lead for Environmental Incentives LLC, where he designed and supported implementation of performance-based procurement, environmental markets, and other market-based programs for natural resource public agencies across the western U.S. He began his career as a business analyst and software developer for one of the largest fresh vegetable distributors on the west coast. Eoin has a B.A. in Computer Science from the University of San Diego and a M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Eoin Doherty
Senior Financial Analyst
Kevin Lehar
General Manager, Green Spring Farms

Kevin leads agronomy, leasing, contract farming, and offtake for all Farmland LP properties. He has farm development and management experience from Vino Farms, Woolf Farming, and J.G. Boswell. Kevin managed development on 1200 acres and production and operations of 3,000 acres of vineyards for institutional investors in the Paso Robles, CA area. Previously, he was directly responsible for crop production on 14,000 acres of tomatoes, onions, garlic, broccoli, spinach, green beans, etc., both conventional and organic production, and was concurrently the Senior Agronomist for 24,000 acres. Kevin earned a B.S. in Agricultural Plant Science – Vegetable Crop Production, from CSU Fresno and he holds pest control advisors and pesticide applicators licenses in CA and WA, and has extensive experience in regulatory and research fields.

Kevin Lehar
General Manager, Green Spring Farms
Mark Chedekel
Chief Financial Officer

Mark is responsible for the oversight of accounting and finance for Farmland LP and its funds. He has over 25 years of real estate finance and accounting experience working with a variety of stakeholders, from corporate owners to individual investors; he has led several teams in implementing accounting processes, procedures and controls. Before joining Farmland LP, Mark managed his own consulting firm specializing in interim controller positions, asset sales and dispositions. Previously, he worked as Controller for Tioga Energy, as well as several real estate firms. For the 15 years prior, Mark was with Jones Lang LaSalle (formerly Compass Management and Leasing) responsible for some of their largest corporate accounts. Mark earned a B.S. in Accounting from the State University of New York, Fredonia. He is also a Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Mark Chedekel
Chief Financial Officer
Tom Sullivan
Managing Director-Capital Markets/Investor Relations

Tom joined Farmland LP in 2020 and heads our capital markets and investor relations team. He comes to Farmland LP with 29 years of experience in investment banking at firms including DLJ/Credit Suisse and Piper Jaffray. During his career on Wall Street, Tom closed over $12 billion in private capital raises for companies and funds from a variety of institutional investors. Tom was a founder of Pets Choice, a Seattle-based veterinary hospital company, and received his MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia and his BBA from the University of Michigan.

Tom Sullivan
Managing Director-Capital Markets/Investor Relations
Craig Wichner
Founder, Managing Partner

Craig Wichner is the Founder and Managing Partner of Farmland LP. He founded Farmland LP in 2009 and is responsible for day-to-day management, business strategy, and all investment activity. Craig is a seasoned executive with nearly 30 years of experience building companies such as Depotech, which developed and currently produces an FDA-approved treatment for metastatic brain cancer (sold to Skyepharma), and Kindmark, which developed and sold automated employee charitable contribution programs for Fortune 500 Companies (sold to Kintera, now Blackbaud). Craig has helped manage his family’s real estate portfolio of apartment buildings for over 25 years. Craig has a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, with a minor in Economics, from the University of California, San Diego.

Craig Wichner
Founder, Managing Partner

Corporate
Headquarters

80 E. Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Suite 3B
Larkspur, CA
94939
Tel: 415.677.7055

Oregon Farm Headquarters

8930 Suver Road
Monmouth, OR
97361

California Farm Headquarters

7305 West Howard Road
Stockton, CA
95206

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