Westchester Group CEO Chairs Ag Investment Conference

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“Agriculture investments have an extremely favorable outlook over the next decade,” said Murray Wise, Westchester Group, Inc. Founder and CEO during his opening remarks at the World AgriInvest Congress. “Investments have seen positive returns over the last 10 years, and it doesn’t appear that will change in the near future.”

Wise served as the chairman for the World AgriInvest Congress held in London July 1 – 2, 2008. International investors, traders, asset and fund managers, and representatives from institutions gathered at the two-day event to discuss global agriculture trends and investment opportunities in agricultural commodities.

“The real drivers in the global market are the growing economies and changing diets in some of the world’s most populated countries, especially China and India,” said Wise. “The increases in caloric intake in many developing countries are the key factors driving demand higher than supply.”

Several key points Wise addressed include:

• China used to be the world’s third-largest exporter of corn, and over the next year or so will become a net importer of corn
• In 2007, China marketed over eight times as many hogs as the U.S., and is now importing four percent of U.S. pork production
• Global corn ending stock is the second lowest in history and stocks continue to decrease

Wise noted the recent commodity boom has made agriculture commodities an attractive investment opportunity for many investors, and not just for the short term. Wise said, “We have a great global set of circumstances. This is only the second demand-driven market in the last 30-plus years, and the agriculture industry has a very exciting future.”

The World AgriInvest Congress provided a forum for many high-profile individuals and companies in the global investment industry to discuss how market forces and social and political influences will impact agriculture investments in the coming years. Speakers and panel discussions focused on a wide array of topics, including the global outlook for, and investing in, agricultural commodities; implications of the food versus feed versus fuel debate; and global supply trends, influences and developments.

Developing countries such as Southeast Asia and Africa present significant investment opportunities. Wise noted that while there are risks and challenges, there are also untapped resources and tremendous potential. For example, the vast majority of Africa is reliant upon agriculture and agribusiness, and through investment and education its capacity to produce food can grow exponentially.

Wise’s research and his knowledge base have become a resource for many producers, investors and other professionals in the agriculture industry to rely on for market trends and making sound investments. He summarized his outlook on agriculture as he repeatedly said, “This is an exciting time to be involved in agriculture and I have no doubt we have a very bright future to look forward to.”

About Westchester Group, Inc.

Westchester Group, Inc. is a leading agricultural asset management firm, providing a complete range of agricultural real estate and management services as well as auction services. The company specializes in portfolio management and acquisition of farmland for institutional and corporate clients, individual farmers, as well as individual investors. Westchester manages a diverse range of crops for their clients, including corn, soybeans, almonds, wine grapes, apples and citrus. For more information on Westchester Group, Inc., visit www.westchester-group.com and www.westchester-auctions.com.

About World AgriInvest Congress

Terrapinn, a business media company, has run commodity events all over the world for the past couple of years, including Commodity Week and the World Junior Oil Congress, and in 2008 extended its series of commodity events to the agriculture sector with the World AgriInvest Congress. Terrapinn has a wealth of experience in organizing and running world-class events for the commodity, energy and finance sectors. For more information on Terrapinn, visit http://www.terrapinn.com

Westchester Group, Inc.
Kent Prince
217-352-6000
kent@westchester-group.com
or
Charleston Orwig, Inc.
Lyle Orwig
262-563-5100
lorwig@charlestonorwig.com