INSIGHTS

HUGH KILLEN ON ACCELERATING THE TRANSITION to nature positive agriculture

January 28, 2025

Hugh Killen, Managing Director & CEO

As we tick over the first month of 2025, I’m reminded of the incredible potential that comes with a new year. But with a new year comes reflection, too.

2024 was a transformative period for our company – a year of bold decisions and new directions. And the coming together of a dedicated team with the conviction and capability to make it happen.

We laid the groundwork for a new chapter defined by purpose and momentum, built on our deep commitment to accelerating agriculture that delivers economic and environmental returns.

ACCELERATING THE TRANSITION TO NATURE POSITIVE AGRICULTURE

Supporters will know that last year, Impact Ag Partners, with its expanding international operation, created a JV with Macdoch Australia to form a company dedicated to advancing nature positive ag and natural capital on our shores. Impact Ag Australia was born.

And we’ve spent the past six months building a company that reflects who we are (unapologetic champions of Australian agriculture), what we stand for (agriculture that activates the power of nature), and how we’ll capture the opportunity that’s ahead of us (forward-thinking solutions that reward visionary investors and clients.)

Take, for example, the transformation underway in our asset management portfolio. Led by our new Chief Operating Officer, Shane Bodiam, we’re driving bolder land transitions that better leverage natural systems to drive productivity and resilience, and diversify returns.

From transitioning livestock to regenerative systems, switching annual crops to deep-rooted perennials, and introducing permanent tree crops, Shane and the team are proving what’s possible when expertise, vision, and the power of nature come together.

SCALING NATURAL CAPITAL SOLUTIONS THROUGH EXPERT ADVISORY

If I look beyond 2025, to the farm of the future, I see two balance sheets: one valuing agricultural production, and the other valuing natural capital. Bridging these elements through nature positive practices enhances both – and it’s a shift we’re uniquely equipped to guide.

Our team’s decades of hands-on experience implementing nature positive strategies across our managed farms give us unparalleled insight into the complexities of building, restoring, and preserving natural capital. And with the appointment of Sarah Day as our new Advisory Principal, we’re expanding our advisory arm to help clients achieve their sustainability goals, too.

It’s not just on-farm carbon projects. We’re working on projects as diverse as supply chain nature positive assessments, biofuel feasibility studies, natural capital investment structuring, and biodiversity accreditation.

What sets us apart is the delivery of not just the top-line strategy, but the critical on-ground implementation piece. It’s this unique combination that enables our clients, from corporates and major emitters to institutional investors and government agencies, to break through their ESG roadblocks.

And navigate the evolving opportunities that natural capital presents.

JOIN THE IMPACT AG AUSTRALIA JOURNEY

We’re stepping into 2025 with optimism, confidence, and a firm belief in the impact that bold ambition, empowered teams, and executional excellence can achieve.

Follow Impact Ag Australia on LinkedIn for updates and insights, and subscribe to our newsletter to join us, as we accelerate agriculture – from the ground up.

FUTURE THINKING

PART THREE: REFRAMING REGENERATION SERIES – From narrative to performance: The role of disciplined capital

A new class of investors is recognising that the natural systems underpinning food and fibre production can no longer be taken for granted. They’re fundamental economic infrastructure. And, as with any critical infrastructure, degradation creates risk, while restoration drives value. In Part One of our new series, Reframing Regeneration, Impact Ag Australia’s Head of Portfolio & Investment Management, Bindi Turner, unpacks why sophisticated capital is moving decisively toward ecosystem regeneration – and what this shift means for the future of agricultural investment.

PART TWO: REFRAMING REGENERATION SERIES – Productivity reimagined: The investment logic of regenerative systems

PART ONE: REFRAMING REGENERATION SERIES – From narrative to investable infrastructure

A new class of investors is recognising that the natural systems underpinning food and fibre production can no longer be taken for granted. They’re fundamental economic infrastructure. And, as with any critical infrastructure, degradation creates risk, while restoration drives value. In Part One of our new series, Reframing Regeneration, Impact Ag Australia’s Head of Portfolio & Investment Management,Bindi Turner, unpacks why sophisticated capital is moving decisively toward ecosystem regeneration – and what this shift means for the future of agricultural investment.

PERENNIALS, PATIENCE, AND PROOF: UNPACKING THE REGEN TRANSITION AT GILGAL

Environmental plantings are no longer just about carbon offsets. When integrated into farm systems, they can stack returns: carbon, biodiversity, productivity, and resilience. Here, Hugh Killen explains how the right design can turn ecological restoration into return.

REIMAGINING ENVIRONMENTAL PLANTINGS – FOR CARBON, BIODIVERSITY, AND FARM PRODUCITIVITY

What if a carbon project could do more than store carbon? What if it could restore endangered habitat? Rehydrate the landscape? Build soil health? Strengthen farms against drought? And drive better productivity and profitability?

HUGH KILLEN ON: CAN ON-FARM ENVIRONMENTAL PLANTINGS RETURN A PRODUCTIVITY DIVIDEND? YES, IF…