General description and ownership
UBS Farmland Investors LLC (also referred to as “we”, “our”, the “firm” or “UBS
Farmland Investors”) manages $1.49 billion in agricultural investments as of December
31, 2018. UBS Farmland Investors LLC has over 30 years of experience investing in
farmland. AgriVest Inc., the predecessor to UBS Farmland Investors LLC, was initially
formed in 1983 by the officers of the Agricultural Investment Division of Connecticut
Mutual Life Insurance Company. In 1996, the business was sold to Allegis Realty
Investors and reorganized as AgriVest LLC. In December 1999, AgriVest LLC was
acquired by UBS AG and AgriVest LLC’s name was changed to UBS AgriVest LLC. In
March 2016, the name was changed to UBS Farmland Investors LLC. Its immediate
parent company is UBS Realty Investors LLC (also referred to as "UBS Realty"), but it is
an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of UBS Group AG. The firm periodically seeks to
offer new closed and open-end funds and separately managed accounts investing in
agricultural real estate.
UBS Farmland Investors predecessor organization was one of the first firms appointed by
tax-exempt institutions to manage agricultural real estate equity investments. Crops
typically grown on land managed by UBS Farmland Investors include corn, soybeans,
wheat, rice, cotton, various nuts, premium wine grapes, apples and citrus fruits. In all,
over 30 different types of fruits, nuts, vegetables and grains are grown on land managed
by UBS Farmland Investors. UBS Farmland Investor's senior officers’ experience with
equity investments in permanent cropland properties dates back to the early 1970s. They
structured some of the first institutional equity investments in permanent cropland
properties when working together at Connecticut Mutual.
UBS Farmland Investors is a separate legal entity, but shares office space with, and
receives accounting, legal, compliance, information technology, research and client
service support from UBS Realty. UBS Realty is a prominent commercial real estate
investment management firm with over $31 billion in assets under management on behalf
of over 731 investors as of December 31, 2018.
Type of Advisory Services
UBS Farmland Investors LLC furnishes advice to its clients in connection with the
acquisition or sale and management of agricultural real estate. The firm manages a
commingled vehicle that only accepts or processes deposits and redemptions quarterly
(subject to investment capacity or available cash), but also manages individually
managed farmland accounts, collectively referred to as “accounts”. The accounts have
appointed UBS Farmland Investors LLC to provide investment advisory services with
respect to investing in portfolios of agricultural assets. Investors choosing to invest their
assets in a commingled fund are purchasing shares of a commingled fund and are not
advisory clients of the Firm. The commingled funds are therefore managed in accordance
with guidelines set forth in the fund’s governing documents and underlying investors can
not impose restrictions on investing those funds. Clients who invest through individually
managed agricultural real estate accounts may be viewed as advisory clients if the clients
are obtaining securities-related advice with respect to any ancillary cash generated by the
agricultural real estate. These clients can impose investment guidelines or restrictions
applicable to their advisory agreements. Our services are designed for institutional
investors; we do not target our services to retail clients and we do not participate in any
wrap fee programs.
Separately managed agricultural account clients determine investment guidelines and
restrictions, such as limitations on how much can be invested in a property type or how
much can be invested in any one geographic region. They communicate these guidelines
to us in writing. We then tailor an overall strategy and an agricultural real estate
investment plan designed to conform to the objectives, guideline and restrictions. If an
agricultural real estate investment decision involves action not permitted under the
applicable guidelines, the approval of the client is required prior to taking such action.
As of December 31, 2018, we had $1.49 billion in assets under management invested
through a commingled fund and three individually managed discretionary accounts.
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The fee for services rendered in this regard through individually managed accounts is
negotiable and is generally based on a percentage of the last independently appraised
value of the properties. Fees, which are generally charged quarterly in arrears, will be
prorated to take into account any deposits into and withdrawals from the account during a
quarter. The base fee will generally be around 1% per year, but are negotiable based on
factors including, but not limited to, assets under management, client objectives, level of
service, and client servicing.
Fee schedules for the commingled fund we currently offer to investors can be found in
the fund’s respective private placement memorandum. These fees are not negotiable.
Management fees are calculated quarterly and deducted from each client’s assets
following the end of each quarter. Fees are charged and payable quarterly in arrears.
There are no fees currently charged in advance; therefore refunds typically will not apply.
If the advisory relationship is terminated, UBS Farmland Investors is generally entitled to
the pro-rata portion of the earned fees.
No supervised person is compensated for the sale of securities or investment products.
The firm, however, can receive compensation related to the acquisition or disposition of
an asset, if that fee is part of the client’s negotiated fee schedule. No employee of the firm
is directly compensated on a transactional basis.
Other fees or expenses
Clients will typically pay all costs, expenses and fees incurred in operating the fund or
account including costs, expenses and fees incurred for legal, accounting, audit, third-
party valuation services, insurance and indemnification, tax and other consulting services
(including engineering and environmental consulting), and other costs, expenses, and fees
incurred in the evaluation, acquisition, financing, leasing, development, management,
operation, valuation, monitoring and disposition of investments (including such expenses
incurred in connection with transactions that are not consummated for any reason).
In addition, the commingled fund will reimburse director fees and reimbursement of
expenses for Independent Directors of the Board. The commingled fund will also
reimburse reasonable expenses incurred by members of the Advisory Council. An
advisory committee composed of certain investors which the fund, at its discretion,
may consult with and obtain advice with respect to certain fund matters. The fund
will nominate the members of the Advisory Council initially and develop criteria for
selection of new or replacement members.
Asset based management fee, cash management fee, and applicable expenses/costs
are disclosed in more detail in the fund's confidential offering documents or in the
agreement with a client governing an individual account.
Brokerage or transaction costs
Third-party real estate brokers charge commissions on real estate transactions that are
added to the acquisition cost or deducted from the sale proceeds and prospective
investors are directed to Item 12 of this brochure that describes factors used when
selecting brokers including the reasonableness of their compensation.
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Some accounts may negotiate contracts that have performance-based fee structures.
These fee structures can create an incentive for us to make more speculative
decisions on behalf of those accounts than we would otherwise make if these fees
did not exist. This is in part because they allow us to receive increased compensation
as a result of unrealized and realized gains in an account. We have controls in place
to address such conflicts and incentive fees are only charged in compliance with
Regulation 205-3 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended.
We address the potential conflicts in several ways. The most critical process we
follow is a disciplined investment allocation process. If an investment is deemed
suitable for only one of our accounts or is an "add-on" to an existing investment, it is
allocated to that account.
If a prospective investment is deemed suitable for more than one of our clients, the
investment will be offered on a rotating basis (the “Allocation Policy”) to each client
on the “Rotation Allocation List.” Every discretionary account and non-discretionary
account that has made a firm investment commitment to our firm is included on the
Rotation Allocation List. However, no new account will be accepted into the
allocation process unless the Committee expects that the investment allocation needs
of all existing accounts on the List, as well as any new account, can reasonably be
met. A new account would enter the allocation process at the lowest priority position.
The investment will first be offered to the account that has the highest priority on the
Rotation Allocation List. Priority is given to the account with the longest elapsed
time since its most recently allocated investment. The Investment Coordinating
Committee oversees this process. If an investment includes an option or similar
property right to acquire an additional property, the account having the benefit of
such option or other similar property right is entitled to be allocated the additional
property.
In the case of an acquisition opportunity consisting of multiple farms or tracts of
land, the Committee may, at its discretion, allocate certain farms or tracts of land for
purchase by multiple clients/accounts.
The Investment Committee also provides a key check and balance function. It is the
primary investment decision-making body for UBS Farmland Investors. The
Investment Committee must approve each significant transaction (including
acquisitions, dispositions, and certain major capital transactions). Chaired by the
President of UBS Farmland Investors, the Investment Committee includes all
members of the UBS Farmland Investors team. This committee provides for a
balanced discussion surrounding investment decisions, which helps mitigate the risk
of making investments that are inconsistent with the risk profile and objectives of
the account.
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The majority of clients and fund investors are institutional clients. They include state and
local government pension plans, corporate and labor union pension plans, and other plans
including those of corporations, tax exempt organizations, and charitable organizations.
We provide investment management services to ERISA plan clients and may rely on
Prohibited Transaction Exemption 84-14 (the "QPAM exemption"). To the extent
UBS AM relies on the QPAM exemption, it must also comply with individual
Prohibited Transaction Exemptions (PTE 2017-07 or PTE 2019-01, as applicable).
ERISA plan clients have a right to obtain a copy of the written policies and
procedures developed in connection with the individual PTE's issued by the
Department of Labor, requiring UBS AM to maintain, implement and follow written
policies and procedures.
Initial investment in our commingled funds generally must be at least $1,000,000. The
minimum commitment acceptable to establish an individually managed account generally
is $100,000,000. The firm may waive the minimum investment amount at our discretion.
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We utilize financial information and appraisals submitted with each property acquisition
proposal as the principal source of information for making an investment
recommendation. We also utilize government data and research information regarding
agricultural commodities and the condition of the agricultural economy together with
information gathered on these subjects by our staff and furnished by our clients.
Please be reminded however that all investments carry a certain degree of risk. In
particular, investments in real estate and in real estate funds can be very illiquid and the
value of investments and the income from them will go up as well as down and the
possibility of loss does exist. For instance, events such as the deterioration of credit
markets and increased volatility that began in 2008 resulted in a historically
unprecedented lack of liquidity and decline in asset values. The risk factors described
herein are not a complete enumeration or explanation of the risks involved in any
particular fund or account, as the particular risks applicable to each fund or account will
depend on the nature of the fund or account, its investment strategy or strategies and the
types of investments held. A more detailed and specific enumeration and explanation of
risks factors is contained in a fund's offering materials.
The value of investments and the income from them will go up as well as down and the
possibility of loss does exist and that investments in our funds or and accounts are not
guaranteed by UBS Realty, UBS or any of their respective affiliates. In view of the risks
associated with an investment in real estate, only investors able to bear the economic risk of their investment for an indefinite period and able to afford a loss of their entire investment should consider investing. Our past performance and activities
provide no assurance of future results. In addition, our fees and expenses reduce
investment returns.
Our area of expertise relates to land-based investments (particularly farmland and other
agricultural land). UBS Farmland Investors generally recommends an investment
strategy that involves long term equity purchases of agricultural real estate.
We believe risk-adjusted returns from farmland investments are enhanced by separating
the risks inherent in owning farmland from the risks inherent in planting, growing and
harvesting crops on that farmland. The strategy for our accounts generally will be to
mitigate crop risks by leasing the account’s land to farm operators who will assume the
risks of planting, growing and harvesting the crops they choose to raise. It is expected
that most leases will require the payment of a fixed rent in whole or partial satisfaction of
the rent due from the tenant to the account regardless of the success of the tenant in
harvesting and selling crops planted on the land. To a limited extent, we selectively
choose to incur directly some part of the crop risk by structuring all or part of the rent due
under leases as a percentage of the gross revenues from the sale of the crops grown on the
land. These percentage rent lease structures will be primarily used for permanent crop
properties. We believe risk-adjusted account returns can be enhanced in the long term by
actively managing the leasing strategy of the account. We do this by adjusting lease
structures for tactical purposes to take advantage of what we believe are opportunities
with respect to certain crops or selected tenants who have demonstrated special
competence.
Diversification
Diversification cannot eliminate the risk of experiencing investment loss and there can be
no assurance as to the degree of diversification that will actually be achieved either by
geographic region, property type, or even asset class. Any limit to diversification
increases risk because the unfavorable performance of even a single investment might
have an adverse effect on the aggregate return. Nevertheless, diversification is a common
objective among our clients to help mitigate risk.
Risks of farmland investment Investments in real estate entail a great deal of risk including illiquidity. Some of the risks
are described in more detail below. Clients should be prepared to bear the risk of
investment for an indefinite period of time and losing their entire investment.
Investments in farmland are subject to various risks, including adverse changes in
national or international economic conditions, adverse local market conditions, adverse
natural conditions such as storms, floods, drought, windstorms, hail, temperature
extremes, frosts, soil erosion, infestations and blights, failure of irrigation or other
mechanical systems used to cultivate the land. Financial conditions of tenants,
marketability of any particular kind of crop that may be influenced, among other things,
by changing consumer tastes and preferences, import and export restrictions or tariffs,
casualty or condemnation losses, government subsidy or production programs are all
risks. Additional risks exist with respect to buyers and sellers of properties, availability
of excess supply of property relative to demand, changes in availability of debt financing,
changes in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses.
Environmental risk can be significant including adverse changes to environmental laws
and regulations, governmental regulation of and risks associated with the use of fertilizers,
pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals used in commercial agriculture. Zoning laws
and other governmental rules and fiscal policies, energy prices, changes in the relative
popularity of properties, risk due to dependence on cash flow, as well as acts of God,
uninsurable losses and other factors which are beyond our control.
Changes in economic conditions in the US and elsewhere
Foreign production and delivery systems improve at a faster rate than global demand;
Government farm programs are significantly reduced in the U.S. and not in other
countries.
Weather
Persistent changes in weather that are widespread and not conducive to agricultural
production in the U.S. and changes in consumer preferences resulting in changes in the
relative popularity of properties or crops can adversely affect agricultural investments.
Environmental issues
Whether or not the owner knew of or caused the presence of certain hazardous substances,
the cost of investigation, remediation or removal of such substances may be substantial
and the failure to properly remediate the contamination may adversely affect the owner’s
ability to sell or rent such property. Although the properties are subject to environmental
assessments, no assurances can be given that the environmental assessments reveal all
environmental liabilities, or that the account has established adequate reserves for such
liabilities, or that no prior owners created any environmental condition not disclosed in
the environmental assessment for such property. Under various federal, state and local
laws, ordinances and regulations, an owner of real property may be liable for the costs of
removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances or petroleum products on,
under or in such property. Such laws often impose liability whether or not the owner or
operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of such hazardous or toxic
substances. In addition, the presence of, or the failure to properly remediate, such
substances may adversely affect the owner’s ability to borrow using such real property as
collateral or to sell such property. In connection with the ownership (direct or indirect),
management and development of a property, the account or one of the entities that hold
title to the account’s assets could be considered an owner or operator of the property and
may be liable for removal or remediation costs, as well as certain other potential costs
relating to such hazardous or toxic substances or petroleum products. In particular,
Investors should be aware that commercial agriculture operators typically utilize
fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals, and that the account intends to
invest in properties where such materials have been used and lease such properties to
operators who will use such materials.
Illiquidity
There can be no assurance that there will be a ready market for each property at the time
it may be necessary to dispose of the same. For investment in private commingled funds,
there is no public market for shares and no such market is expected to develop in the
future.
Currency
Non-U.S. investors should consult their own legal and tax advisers for potential U.S.
and/or local country legal or tax implications on any investment. If the currency we use,
which is USD, is different from the currency of a client’s home country, the return can
increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations.
Competition
There can be no assurance that the advisor will be able to continually locate and acquire
assets meeting the account’s objective. Competition for assets can generally reduce the
number of suitable prospective assets available.
Market changes
Selling farmland can be difficult at times. In particular, these risks could arise from
absence of an established market for a property, changes in the financial condition or
prospects of prospective purchasers, changes in national or international economic
conditions, and changes in laws, regulations or fiscal policies of jurisdictions in which the
property is located. Any of these factors could limit the ability of the account to vary its
investments rapidly in response to changes in economic and other conditions.
Uncertainties in calculating real estate values We arrange for periodic valuations of the real estate investments. Any such valuation,
however, is a subjective analysis of the fair market value of an asset and requires the use
of techniques that are costly and time-consuming and ultimately provide no more than an
estimate of value. Similarly, certain account liabilities may be valued on the basis of
estimates. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the values of the real estate
investments or the account will be accurate on any given date, nor can there be any
assurance that the sale of any property would be at a price equivalent to the last estimated
value of such property. Accounts with fees based on assets under management would be
adversely affected by higher fees if the value of the account were overstated.
Cybersecurity
UBS, like all companies, may be susceptible to operational and information security
risk. Cybersecurity failures or breaches of UBS or its service providers have the
ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in
financial losses, the inability to transact business, violations of applicable privacy
and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or
other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. Although UBS takes
protective measures, it may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses
or other events that could impact security. UBS currently and in the future is
expected to routinely communicate via e-mail or other electronic means. E-mail
messages may not be secure, may contain computer viruses or other defects, may not
be accurately replicated on other systems, or may be intercepted and read by others,
deleted, or modified without the knowledge of the sender or intended recipient.
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We are not registered, nor do we have an application pending to register, as a broker-
dealer. Our parent company, UBS Realty Investors LLC, does have a subsidiary limited
purpose broker-dealer (UBS Fund Services (USA) LLC) that is engaged to distribute the
private placements that we manage. A number of UBS Realty’s employees are registered
with the broker-dealer, but UBS Realty pays those employees’ salary and variable
compensation. The registered employees receive no compensation from the broker-
dealer, nor do they sell any investments other than interests in the funds managed by us,
UBS Realty, or a real estate affiliate. Furthermore, the broker-dealer carries no customer
accounts or holds any securities, its employees are shared employees of UBS Realty
Investors LLC, and it is supported by UBS Realty through a service agreement. We
therefore do not believe there are any conflicts of interest with clients.
UBS Realty Investors LLC and its subsidiary UBS Farmland Investors LLC are wholly
owned subsidiaries of UBS Group AG ("UBS"). Among UBS' direct and indirect
affiliates and related persons are various broker-dealers, investment advisors and banking
organizations. Some of these related persons are also registered as commodity pool
operators, commodity trading advisors or future commission merchants. We have and
anticipate we will maintain arrangements with UBS and its affiliates that are material to
our advisory business. We have service level agreements with UBS and its affiliates
pursuant to which the affiliates provide certain services including, but not limited to:
technology production services, market risk services, legal services and compliance
services. UBS Business Solutions US LLC an affiliate of UBS Group AG provides
certain services to UBS Group AG's affiliates and subsidiaries that operate in the United
States. Services currently include Finance, Risk Control, Compliance, Legal, Human
Resources, Technology and Operations.
UBS Realty Investors LLC and UBS Farmland Investors LLC are one of several entities
within the UBS Asset Management Business Group, which includes: UBS Asset
Management (US) Inc., UBS Asset Management (Canada) Co., UBS Asset Management
(Japan) Ltd., UBS Asset Management (UK) Ltd., UBS Asset Management (Americas)
Inc., and UBS Real Estate GMBH. UBS Realty Investors LLC is the legal entity name
conducting the US direct real estate business within UBS Asset Management known as "
Real Estate – US".
We do not, nor do any of our management persons, have any relationships or
arrangements that are material to our advisory business with an accountant or accounting
firm, lawyer or law firm, insurance company or agency, pension consultant, real estate
broker or dealer, or sponsor or syndicator of limited partnerships, nor do we recommend
or select other investment advisors for our clients.
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Personal Trading We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that sets forth standards of
integrity and business conduct we expect every employee to uphold and follow and
requires all employees to comply with relevant federal securities laws. The Code
requires:
• ethical conduct premised on fundamental principles of openness, integrity,
honesty and trust;
• protection of material nonpublic information and requirements for prompt internal
reporting of any violations of the Code; and
• protection against employees who report violations.
We do not invest, on behalf of ourselves or our clients, in securities traded on exchanges,
nevertheless, our Code also addresses personal trading for employees. Included in the
personal trading section is the requirement for all personnel to pre-clear personal
investments in real estate securities, initial public offerings, and private placements.
From time to time, our employees can invest in the same commingled fund as our
investors, and while a potential conflict with investors may arise, we believe we have
established procedures to prevent such conflicts from occurring with respect to co-
investments. Our Code further requires employees that we deem as access persons (for
instance, investment committee personnel) to report their personal securities holdings and
transactions, including those in affiliated mutual funds, on a quarterly basis. All
employees must accept the Code, and acknowledge any subsequent amendments, in
writing, or by electronic affirmation.
A full copy of the Code is available to any client or prospective client upon request.
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Although this question about brokerage practices is best suited for securities transactions
than real property, we feel it is helpful for our clients to understand how we select real
estate brokers when we sell our properties.
In our capacity as an investment manager, we have been granted discretion by our clients
to make the appropriate investments pursuant to each client's investment objectives and
guidelines. In performing such investment management functions, we will select
qualified professionals such as, but not limited to, real estate brokers who assist in the
sale of investments. In making this selection, we will consider the price and quality of
services provided. It is our policy to obtain the most favorable price and terms for each
client in consideration of all facts and circumstances. We may negotiate fees to be paid
for these services. Commissions charged by the real estate brokers will have the affect of
reducing the gross sales proceeds.
We receive no additional services that we would otherwise pay for, such as research,
from real estate brokers or other third parties (i.e. soft dollars) in exchange for using their
services. Also, in selecting or recommending real estate brokers, we do not consider
whether or not we receive or a related person receives client referrals from a broker or
third party, nor do we direct real estate transactions to any real estate broker in return for
client referrals.
Furthermore, we do not recommend, request or require that a client direct us to use a
particular real estate broker and we typically do not permit clients to direct us to use a
particular real estate broker.
Finally, because we buy and sell real estate, there are no conditions that exist in
which we aggregate the purchase or sale of real estate for various accounts.
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The funds and accounts are reviewed on a quarterly basis by the portfolio manager and
CFO and annually by either a compliance officer or the head of compliance to ensure the
funds and accounts are being managed in accordance with its documented guidelines.
Significant transactions will also trigger a review to determine the impact the transaction
will have on the resulting account.
When it comes to information, we establish dialogue with our clients through phone
conversations, periodic written reports and periodic investment meetings. We attempt to
make our staff as available as necessary to the client and/or consultant to provide the
information requested. Our Client Service Representatives are generally available upon
request to meet with each client annually. The portfolio manager is available, upon
request, to attend client meetings as well.
Account statements and account-level reports are prepared and sent to the clients
quarterly regarding the status of their account, market conditions for US agriculture as
reported by the USDA, and the condition of properties held by the client.
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We do not receive any economic benefit from anyone who is not a client for providing
advisory services to our clients.
We have a marketing and support agreement with UBS Asset Management (US) Inc.
(“UBS AM”), and UBS Asset Management (Japan) Ltd and a Distribution agreement
with UBS Fund Management (Switzerland) AG. We can enter into similar arrangements
with other affiliates for providing all or some of the following services: (i) identifying
qualified investors interested in investing with our firm and making sales presentations to
such investors, (ii) assisting in the process of selling and issuing Interests to such
investors, (iii) providing ongoing investor relationship services to certain investors, (iv)
coordinating communications among us, our clients, and other investors, and (v) other
services as mutually agreed between our firm and these affiliated entities. The amount of
fees and frequency of payments will vary depending upon the agreement reached. We
will not bill additional fees to clients as a result of any referral arrangement; fees will be
paid out of our revenue.
We have a referral arrangement in place with UBS Financial Services Inc. in which
individual financial advisors can be paid a referral fee if the advisor introduces a real
estate or farmland property in which a managed portfolio invests. Any fees paid
under this arrangement will be paid out of our revenue and we will not bill
additional fees to clients as a result of the property referral arrangement.
We have not directly or indirectly paid compensation to any unaffiliated third parties for
client referrals.
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We do not have physical possession of client cash or securities and we do not provide
securities-related advice to any advisory clients. We can arrange for payments for
acquisitions and other expenses as stipulated in client agreements and accordingly, we do
have control and discretionary authority over certain client assets.
The firm does not provide securities-related advice to client funds or accounts. If the
firm were to provide securities related advice (such as by causing excess cash to be
invested in securities) or were to acquire possession of client cash the firm will comply
with the Custody Rule with respect to the affected fund or account. In such cases, the
firm will engage an SEC independent audit firm to audit the financial statements.
Audited financial statements for both separately managed farmland accounts and the
pooled farmland fund are sent to the clients and pooled fund investors within 120 days of
the account’s fiscal year end.
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We do not manage securities accounts; however we have discretionary authority to invest
in real property according the account’s or fund’s governing documents. Investors in a
commingled fund have no authority to place limitations on investment activities.
Individually managed farmland account clients, on the other hand, enter into investment
management agreements specifying the level of discretion they want us to have and / or
imposing restrictions on our authority to enter into transactions.
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The firm does not have any financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair our
ability to meet contractual commitments to clients, nor has the firm been the subject of a
bankruptcy petition at any time during the past ten years.
Item 19. Privacy Notice
We are committed to protecting the personal information that we collect about
prospective, current or former advisory clients.
Information We Collect We collect non-public personal information in connection with providing investment
advisory services primarily to process requests and transactions, provide customer service,
and communicate information about our products and services. Personal information,
which is obtained from subscription documents and other forms, may include but is not
limited to name(s), address, e-mail address, telephone number, date of birth, social
security number or other tax identification number, bank account information, financial
information and/or other investments in mutual funds or other investment programs
managed by the firm or our affiliates (“Personal Information”).
Information Security
We limit access to Personal Information to those individuals who need to know that
information in order to process transactions, and service accounts. These individuals are
required to maintain and protect the confidentiality of Personal Information and to follow
established procedures. We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to
protect Personal Information and to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
Information We Share
We do not sell Personal Information and we use reasonable commercial efforts not to
disclose it to anyone except as described here. We may share Personal Information with
our affiliates to facilitate the servicing of accounts and for other business purposes, or as
otherwise required or permitted by applicable law. Our affiliates are companies that are
controlled by a member of a Real Estate - US entity or that control or are under common
control with our firm. We may also share Personal Information with non-affiliated third
parties that perform services, such as vendors that provide data or transaction processing,
computer software maintenance and development, and other administrative services.
When we share Personal Information with a non-affiliated third party, we will do so
pursuant to a contract that includes provisions designed to ensure that the third party will
uphold and maintain privacy standards when handling Personal Information. In addition
to sharing information with non-affiliated third parties to facilitate the servicing of
accounts and for other business purposes, we may also disclose Personal Information to
non-affiliated third parties as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law. For
example, we may disclose Personal Information to credit bureaus or regulatory
authorities to facilitate or comply with investigations; to protect against or prevent actual
or potential fraud, unauthorized transactions, claim or other liabilities; or to respond to
judicial or legal process, such as subpoena requests.
Changes Except as described in this privacy notice, we will not use Personal Information for any
other purpose unless we describe how such Personal Information will be used and clients
are given an opportunity to decline approval of such use of Personal Information relating
to them (or affirmatively approve the use of Personal Information, if required by
applicable law).
We endeavor to keep our customer files complete and accurate. Please notify your Client
Services Representative or your Portfolio Manager if any Personal Information needs to
be corrected or updated. If you have any questions or concerns about your Personal
Information or this privacy notice, please contact your Client Services Representative.
In the European Union General Data Protection (GDPR) went live on May 25 2018,
designed to enable individuals to better control their personal data. UBS takes your
privacy seriously. Please consult the privacy notice at
www.ubs.com/gdpr-amuki for
general information on what personal data UBS collects what it does with that
information and what rights you have.
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