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The Perfect Investment: RAD Diversified and Income-Producing Farms

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1 year ago

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Amidst the global lockdown of 2020, Dutch Mendenhall, founder of RADD America, began looking for an alternative to standard residential real-estate investments. So, he turned his analysis to farms and was blown away by the immense potential he saw. After going public in late 2019, RADD America purchased US farmland and made slices of the real estate available at minimum investments of $10,000.

Income-producing farms vs. other real estate asset classes

According to Mendenhall, an apartment complex in today’s US real estate market commands approximately a 4% or 5% cap rate. Farms offer somewhere around a 15% to 20% cap rate.

“When I first began looking at investing in farms, I compared each acre to an apartment or housing unit,” Mendenhall recalls. “The variety that income-producing farms provide is what I really love about them as an opportunity. With one season producing wheat and corn the next, you can double tap — you can raise livestock on top of agriculture. Putting money into the farm only pays off in time. Everything from improving soil to increasing irrigation makes a major impact on potential income, and so much of America’s farmland has fallen into disrepair during the last 20 years.”

When Mendenhall began investing during the early days of the pandemic, sustainable acres of producing farmland sold anywhere from $3,500 to $5,000. Today, he finds that income-producing acres of farmland easily sell for $9,500 to $10,000.

“I’ve seen farmland values almost double during the last couple of years,” Mendenhall says. “Currently, we’re in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Idaho, but we are analyzing land all over America. What reports don’t show is the difference between a properly maintained acre of farmland and an acre that is in disarray. There’s only so much workable farmland on the market today. We’ve hit the tipping point, and now, there’s a scarcity of land for people to buy. If you have the opportunity to purchase amazing agricultural land, you have to pull the trigger quickly.”

Income-producing farms as an asset class

Mendenhall is no stranger to investors. Since 2006, he’s connected them to deals in short sales, wholesaling, residential properties, and storage units, though he admits that every asset class has caused the same excitement as farmland. “At this point, we can’t find enough bargains for our investors,” he says. “They take real pride in their investments and keep asking us for more.”

RADD America takes a true grassroots approach when connecting its investors to farmland. “The farming world is different from any other in real estate,” explains Mendenhall. “We start by having our acquisitions and agricultural teams meet with farmers. When we get ready to brand cattle or plant, all the local farmers come and help. In the same spirit, our teams go out and help the local farmers when it’s their turn to brand and plant. To do it right, you have to build a relationship and a connection that’s quite different than other types of investing.”

RADD America is composed of expert investors and expert farmers. The company offers its investments through fractionalized ownership. In other words, the company purchases one farm and then allows a joint pool of investors to own it together. 

“If you don’t have a team that knows how to farm and maximize income, you’re not going to get the best possible return for investors,” warns Mendenhall. “Thankfully, our team isn’t so big for this type of investing that we forget who we are, and we have the economy to scale at a great pace.”

The impact of global competition on income-producing farm investments

RADD America closely monitors global trends. In Mendenhall’s experience, investors win when they move before the market. However, when they move after the market, they lose.

“When Russian first invaded and sparked its war with Ukraine, for example, we kept a close eye on its global impact,” he says. “As one of the largest producers of wheat in the world, we knew that Ukraine — now in the midst of a war — wasn’t going to be able to produce wheat at the same scale, so someone else needs to step in and fill the gap. We’re constantly monitoring what’s happening in the world to stay on top of evolving trends.”

In terms of global competition, Mendenhall is frustrated by foreign entities staking ownership of American farmland and agriculture. In this area, China has positioned itself as the number one threat to the sovereignty of the United States.

“When foreign powers have ownership of agricultural land in the US, it puts us all at risk as Americans,” remarks Mendenhall. “Over the past few years, we’ve seen soil quality erode, closures of meatpacking plants, and numerous fires. The likelihood of nuclear war in this age is very small. The quiet war of buying American agriculture and unsettling the American dollar is the threat we face today.”

Clearly, RADD America has a lot to pay attention to at home and abroad. “We’re monitoring weather patterns and making one-year, three-year, and five-year predictions,” Mendenhall explains. “We’re also paying close attention to interest rates to see where this shifting economy is headed. The up-and-down cycles are faster than they’ve ever been. Monitoring the industry is critical. With expert investors and agricultural specialists from RADD America on your team, farmland can be one of your most promising and rewarding investment opportunities.”

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Rosario is from New York and has worked with leading companies like Microsoft as a copy-writer in the past. Now he spends his time writing for readers of BigtimeDaily.com

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Business

Interview with Jason Ho, CEO of Teklium: A Vision for the Future of Technology

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Published

7 days ago

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October 16, 2024

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Photo courtesy of Teklium 

By Mj Toledo

There is a wealth of experience behind Teklium, and it is embodied in its chief executive officer (CEO), Jason Ho. His educational foundation was laid at National Chiao Tung University and Pennsylvania State University, where he developed his skills in electrical engineering. With over 400 patents to his name, he has played a key role in advancing semiconductor technologies and artificial intelligence (AI).

From leading custom chip design for the F35 Fighter Jet to innovating at Teklium, Ho’s work has been adopted by major corporations worldwide. In this interview, he shares his vision for the future of technology and how Teklium’s developments fit into this broader landscape.

Q: Hi, Jason. For those who may not be familiar with Teklium, could you tell us more about your company?

Jason Ho: Certainly. Teklium is a technology company focused on improving AI and semiconductor technologies. Our mission is to create self improving AI systems and hardware that can tackle various technological challenges and shape the future of multiple industries.

Q: You hold over 400 international patents, with one of your most notable innovations being hydrogen battery technology. What inspired you to promote this sustainable transportation solution?

Jason Ho: I’ve always been deeply interested in finding sustainable energy solutions, especially in transportation. Traditional lithiumion batteries have clear limitations, both in terms of performance and their environmental impact due to resource mining. Hydrogen batteries present a promising alternative, offering both environmental benefits and faster refueling times, which could make electric vehicles more practical and appealing.

Q: What drove you to focus on hydrogen battery technology specifically?

Jason Ho: My collaboration with Mark Bayliss, President of Visual Link, played a significant role. Mark introduced the concept of a closed loop hydrogen system, and our joint efforts resulted in the development of a hydrogen battery technology that we believe can provide a clean and safer alternative to lithiumion batteries. This inspired me to continue refining the technology, working with Visual Link to bring it to market.

Q: How do you see your company’s hydrogen battery technology impacting the electric vehicle industry in the next decade?

Jason Ho: I’ve thought about this a lot. Our hydrogen battery technology has the potential to revolutionize the electric vehicle industry by offering a more efficient and sustainable energy source. The ability to refuel quickly, combined with the technology’s adaptability to a wide range of temperatures, could make electric vehicles far more practical and attractive to consumers in the long term.

Q: Can you explain the significance and potential impact of Teklium’s closed loop hydrogen energy system on global energy consumption?

Jason Ho: The closed loop hydrogen energy system is groundbreaking because it enables onsite hydrogen generation through water electrolysis, eliminating the need for external supply chains. This drastically lowers energy consumption and minimizes environmental impact by recycling water in a continuous loop. The system offers an environmentally friendly solution for industries beyond transportation, including energy storage and telecommunications.

Q: What challenges do you foresee in scaling up hydrogen battery production, and how does Teklium plan to address them?

Jason Ho: Scaling up hydrogen battery production comes with significant challenges, including the development of necessary infrastructure, reducing production costs, and ensuring safety standards. At Teklium, we plan to address these obstacles by partnering with industry leaders to build the required infrastructure and by investing in research to lower costs. We’re also committed to implementing rigorous safety protocols to ensure the technology performs reliably.

Q: How does Teklium’s strategy for AI infrastructure differ from traditional approaches?

Jason Ho: At Teklium, we’re taking a different approach by exploring ways to develop advanced materials and technologies that could improve the performance and efficiency of AI infrastructure. We’re focused on moving beyond traditional silicon based systems and envision a future where we can create three dimensional chip structures that significantly reduce data movement and energy consumption. By integrating memory and processing capabilities, we believe we can revolutionize AI workloads.

Q: Teklium has ambitious plans for extending Moore’s Law. Can you elaborate on how these plans could transform the semiconductor industry?

Jason Ho: Siliconbased chips are nearing their physical limits, so we’re exploring technologies that could allow us to scale transistor density both vertically and horizontally. By adopting these new approaches, we aim to significantly increase chip performance and, in doing so, challenge the traditional expectations of Moore’s Law. We also envision a future where chips are reusable and can be reprogrammed over decades, which could reshape the semiconductor industry’s business model in terms of sustainability and efficiency.

Q: What environmental benefits could Teklium’s technologies bring, particularly in reducing carbon emissions and resource consumption?

Jason Ho: Our innovations could have a profound impact on the environment. We’re committed to developing technologies that reduce resource consumption and minimize waste. By creating more efficient manufacturing processes and extending the lifespan of chips, we hope to significantly reduce electronic waste. Our work on AI infrastructure could also cut energy consumption in data centers by as much as 60%, which would translate into substantial reductions in carbon emissions. And, of course, our hydrogen battery technology offers a clean energy storage solution that could accelerate the adoption of renewable energy sources.

Q: Aside from electric vehicles, what are some other exciting applications of Teklium’s hydrogen battery technology?

Jason Ho: While electric vehicles are an obvious application, there are so many more exciting possibilities. Our hydrogen batteries could serve as large scale energy storage solutions, balancing grid loads and supporting renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. They could also power remote cell towers and data centers in areas where traditional power sources are unreliable. In aerospace, these batteries could enable long range drones and even electric aircraft. The potential applications in disaster relief and military operations, where portable and reliable energy is critical, are also very exciting.

Q: How does your collaboration with companies like Nantero and Visual Link advance Teklium’s technological developments?

Jason Ho: Our collaboration with Nantero is allowing us to explore advanced memory architectures, while our partnership with Visual Link offers crucial insights into practical applications and market needs. Visual Link also helps us navigate regulatory challenges, ensuring our innovations are commercially viable and compliant with industry standards.

Q: Teklium is involved in the concept of AI City in partnership with West Virginia Data Center Group. Can you tell us more about the vision for this project?

Jason Ho: AI City is an ambitious concept that we’re working on with the West Virginia Data Center Group to turn into reality. The idea is to create an intelligent infrastructure that incorporates cutting edge technologies in AI and data centers, optimizing everything from energy usage to communication networks. We envision a city that can learn and adapt to the needs of its residents, reducing inefficiencies and improving quality of life. It’s still in the planning stages, but we’re confident it can become a reality in the near future.

Q: What are your long term goals for Teklium, and how do you see your inventions influencing future generations?

Jason Ho: My long term vision for Teklium is to become a leader in sustainable technology solutions. We aim to continue pushing the boundaries of AI, semiconductor technology, and energy solutions. I want our innovations to inspire future generations to tackle global challenges like climate change and resource scarcity. Ultimately, I hope Teklium’s work contributes to a more connected and sustainable world.

While Teklium’s advancements may take time to fully realize, they open up exciting possibilities for addressing critical challenges like energy consumption and sustainability. Under Jason Ho’s leadership, Teklium is poised to make a significant impact on the future of technology and the environment.

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