Young investors should consider ag

Hamish Webb, a corporate finance manager at Morgans and former sheep and cattle producer at Longreach, was among speakers at the Future Generations Luncheon hosted by the Cattle Council of Australia, James Becker & Co, Morgans and Shand Taylor Lawyers last Thursday during Beef Week.

He said getting people to understand agricultural opportunities in the Australian stock market extended beyond companies such as AACo, Graincorp or Nufarm was a "slow turn, a bit like turning the bullock team".

Mr Webb said there were over 30 Australian listed companies involved in agriculture.

"There are tremendous agricultural companies like Capillano Honey, Buderim Ginger and Tassal - these new companies that are really creating quite an exciting opportunity," he said.

"Their growth in earnings is quite strong. Their net tangible assets are constantly building.

"They really are creating quite an opportunity for investor locally and internationally and provide a completely different diversified opportunity than just owning your own farm."

Mr Webb said he thought people sometimes shied away from investing in agriculture outside their own operations as they assumed their own involvement was ample exposure.

"But as we see with property investments for example, everybody lives in a house and that's obviously a property investment yet they are very happy to own listed property investments or trusts because they are a good investment," Mr Webb said.

"The same can be said for agriculture. You may own a farm, but that doesn't mean there are not excellent other opportunities on the stock market."

He was one of six speakers at the luncheon, sending the message there is change and progression within each of their respective industries and which impact on the beef and wider agriculture industries.

Speakers also included Sarah Becker from James Becker & Co, Marc Greening from Cattle Council of Australia and Injemira Hereford Stud, Frances Becker from Shand Taylor Lawyers, Christian Dimitriou from Morgans and Steven Bliss from Gray Street Veterinary Clinic, Emerald.