AgReserves
AgReserves, Inc. (AgReserves) is a diversified, multinational agriculture for-profit and private company owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Founded | 1950 |
---|---|
Type | Private |
Headquarters | 79 South Main Street Suite 500 Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 |
Services | Agriculture |
Owner | Deseret Management Corporation |
CEO | Don Sleight |
Gérald Caussé | |
Website | https://www.agreserves.com |
AgReserves' three divisions operate in more than 30 states and international operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The three divisions include Cattle (dairy and beef with integrated supply chain trace-ability), Permanent Plantings (farming of almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecan, olives, citrus), and Row Crops (farming of corn, wheat, alfalfa, carrots, corn, peas, onions, potatoes). As of 2020, Don Sleight is the CEO of AgReserves.[1]
Deseret Ranches, part of the Cattle division of AgReserves, encompasses 295,000-acres and extends across Orange, Osceola and Brevard counties and is seen as critical to the Orlando region's water supply.[2] The ranch is home to about a quarter million citrus trees, timberland, tree farms, commercial crops, and large deposits of fossilized seashells used in road base.[3]
In 2013 AgReserves purchased 382,834 acres from St. Joe Company in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty and Wakulla counties.[2] The land, primarily timberland, was purchased for $565 million.[4][5] The LDS Church is now Florida's largest private landowner.[6] AgReserves also owns substantial agricultural land in the United Kingdom.[7] In 2020, AgReserves sold more than 20,000 acres of land surrounding Lake Wimico in Florida to The Nature Conservancy who then donated the land to the state and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.[1]
References
- Croft, Tim. "Nature Conservancy purchases land at Lake Wimico", Gannett, 12 February 2020. Retrieved on 12 March 2020.
- Spear, Kevin. "Mormon church-owned company buys huge swath of Florida land", Orlando Sentinel, 7 November 2013. Retrieved on 11 March 2020.
- Walch, Tad. "LDS Church makes large timberland purchase in Florida Panhandle", Deseret News, 10 November 2013. Retrieved on 12 March 2020.
- Provost, Claire. "From book to boom: how the Mormons plan a city for 500,000 in Florida", The Guardian, 30 January 2017. Retrieved on 12 March 2020.
- Fineout, Gary. "Mormon church affiliate buying up Florida land", The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 November 2013. Retrieved on 12 March 2020.
- Martinez, Amy. "The Mormon Church - Land Lord", Florida Trend, 26 December 2014. Retrieved on 12 March 2020.
- Sidders, Jack and Gopal, Prashant. "Mormon Church in Talks to Buy $129 Million London Office Building", Bloomberg Businessweek, 29 April 2019. Retrieved on 12 March 2020.
External links
- AgReserves website
- Deseret Management Corporation website
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website