SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Lawson Grains Pty Ltd., one of Australia’s leading corporate grain growers, has been acquired by New Forests and Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo).

The announcement was made on Sept. 7 by Macquarie Asset Management, which is divesting Lawson Grains at the conclusion of a 10-year investment mandate with its investors.

Lawson Grains produces more than 200,000 tonnes per year of wheat, barley, canola and pulses. Under the transaction there will be no significant changes to the Lawson Grains management team in its Albury headquarters or to current on-farm teams.

Lawson Grains will remain Australian-managed under its ownership. Headquartered in Sydney, New Forests is a global forestry investment manager offering high-impact strategies in sustainable forestry and related sectors.

“Lawson Grains is a high quality and diversified agricultural business with an experienced management team,” said Mark Rogers, senior managing director at New Forests. “We look forward to working with the management team to continue to build the business and add value. New Forests will bring its sustainability approach to Lawson Grains, managing for sustainable agricultural production and natural climate solutions including soil carbon and native revegetation and focusing on community engagement.”

Macquarie Asset Management built the Lawson Grains management team and business, and implemented the strategy to invest in the latest technology, farming best-practices and in the communities in which it operates, setting the business up for its next phase of ownership.

AIMCo is one of Canada’s leading institutional investors, with significant investment experience in real assets, including over 10 years of investing with New Forests in sustainable forestry and carbon markets in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. AIMCo’s major investment in Australia with New Forests, the Forestry Investment Trust, includes approximately 9,000 hectares of canola and wheat crops in Western Australia.

“AIMCo has a long history of making sustainable investments into Australia, on behalf of its clients,” said Ben Hawkins, senior vice president, head of Infrastructure and Renewable Resources at AIMCo. “The opportunity to acquire Lawson Grains, a fully integrated grains business built on quality assets, people and systems presents an attractive opportunity for AIMCo’s Renewable Resource portfolio to add a significant core asset. We look forward to continuing the growth of the business through our longstanding partnership with New Forests, as good stewards of these high-quality agricultural assets.”

The completion of this acquisition is subject to Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval. All commercial terms are confidential.