Behind the Markets Podcast

Harvesting Alpha from Dirt: From Cornfields to Data Centers


Listen Later

Show from 09/01/25
Host Jeremy Schwartz travels across Indiana with Brandon Zick, CIO of Ceres Partners, as they explore farmland investments following WisdomTree’s acquisition announcement of Ceres. Brandon and Jeremy dive into the fundamentals of farmland investing, including its inflation-hedging characteristics, active property sourcing strategies, and the portfolio's strong historical returns. They also discuss the optionality in farmland from uses like solar, wind, and data centers, the role of dairy and biodiesel, and the impact of tariffs, labor dynamics, and energy policies on farm operations and profitability.
Guest: Brandon Zick is responsible for managing all investments at Ceres Partners, including Ceres Farms flagship farmland fund and Ceres Food & Agriculture private equity strategies. In this role he supervises valuation analysis, acquisition/investment due diligence, portfolio and tenant management, and acquisition negotiations and execution. Prior to joining Ceres in 2010, Mr. Zick served as Vice President of Strategic Acquisitions at Morgan Stanley Investment Management where he performed due diligence, valuation analysis, deal negotiation and execution of strategic business transactions. Previously, he worked as a senior associate of investor relations at Morgan Stanley, and Brandon began his career as a finance associate at Lehman Brothers.Brandon currently serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Advisory Council and the Small Business, Agriculture & Labor sub-council. Mr. Zick is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a B.B.A. in finance and a Japanese concentration and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst. Mr. Zick grew up on a family dairy and crop farm in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Brandon Zick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-zick-394a5310
WisdomTree: https://www.wisdomtree.com/investments
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Behind the Markets PodcastBy Behind the Markets

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

97 ratings


More shows like Behind the Markets Podcast

View all
Exchanges by Goldman Sachs

Exchanges

955 Listeners

Macro Voices by Hedge Fund Manager Erik Townsend

Macro Voices

3,072 Listeners

Top Traders Unplugged by Niels Kaastrup-Larsen

Top Traders Unplugged

588 Listeners

Masters in Business by Bloomberg

Masters in Business

2,177 Listeners

The Meb Faber Show - Better Investing by The Idea Farm

The Meb Faber Show - Better Investing

948 Listeners

Animal Spirits Podcast by The Compound

Animal Spirits Podcast

2,026 Listeners

The Compound and Friends by The Compound

The Compound and Friends

2,121 Listeners

RenMac by Jeff deGraaf, Neil Dutta, & Stephen Pavlick

RenMac

73 Listeners

Excess Returns by Excess Returns

Excess Returns

86 Listeners

Macro Hive Conversations With Bilal Hafeez by Bilal Hafeez

Macro Hive Conversations With Bilal Hafeez

98 Listeners

Barron's Live by Barron's Live

Barron's Live

210 Listeners

RiskReversal Pod by RiskReversal Media

RiskReversal Pod

806 Listeners

On The Tape with Danny Moses by RiskReversal Media

On The Tape with Danny Moses

167 Listeners

Forward Guidance by Blockworks

Forward Guidance

277 Listeners

Monetary Matters with Jack Farley by Jack Farley

Monetary Matters with Jack Farley

157 Listeners