Farmland Partners Inc S-3, filed Apr 7, 2021
Farmland Partners Inc. (FPI)
S-3
2021-04-07
View Original
Added on
October 25, 2026
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 7, 2021
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
FARMLAND PARTNERS INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
| |
Maryland
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
incorporation or Organization |
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46-3769850
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number) |
|
4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450
Denver, Colorado 80237
(720) 452-3100
Denver, Colorado 80237
(720) 452-3100
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)
Paul A. Pittman
Farmland Partners Inc.
4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450
Denver, Colorado 80237
Farmland Partners Inc.
4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450
Denver, Colorado 80237
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)
Copy to
Justin R. Salon
Morrison & Forester LLP
2100 L Street, NW
Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 887-1500
Morrison & Forester LLP
2100 L Street, NW
Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 887-1500
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒
If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
If this form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| | Large Accelerated filer ☐ | | | Accelerated filer ☐ | | | Non-accelerated filer ☒ | | |
Smaller reporting company ☒
Emerging growth company ☐ |
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of Each Class of Securities
to be Registered(1) |
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Amount to be
Registered(2) |
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Proposed Maximum
Offering Price Per Share(2) |
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Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering Price(1) |
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Amount of
Registration Fee(1)(2) |
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Common Stock $0.01 par value per share
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| | | | 1,250,000 | | | | | $ | 11.14 | | | | | $ | 13,925,000 | | | | | $ | 1,519.22 | | |
(1)
Including an indeterminate number of shares which may be issued with respect to such shares of common stock by way of a stock dividend, stock split or in connection with a stock combination, recapitalization, merger, consolidation or otherwise.
(2)
Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee under Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, based on the average of the high and low reported sales prices of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on March 30, 2021.
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. Neither we nor the selling stockholder have authorized anyone to provide you with different or additional information. This prospectus is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale of these securities is not permitted. You should not assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of this prospectus.
You should read carefully the entire prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated by reference in the prospectus, which we have referred you to in “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” below, before making an investment decision. Information incorporated by reference after the date of this prospectus may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. Any information in such subsequent filings that is inconsistent with this prospectus will supersede the information in this prospectus or any earlier prospectus supplement.
Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this prospectus to “we,” “our,” “us” and “our company” refer to Farmland Partners Inc., a Maryland corporation, together with our consolidated subsidiaries, including our Farmland Partners Operating Partnership LP, or our Operating Partnership, of which we are the sole member of the general partner.
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
We make statements in this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (set forth in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)). These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements concerning pending acquisitions and dispositions, projections, predictions, expectations, estimates or forecasts as to our business, financial and operational results, future stock repurchases, our dividend policy, future economic performance, crop yields and prices and future rental rates for our properties, ongoing litigation, as well as statements of management’s goals and objectives and other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. We are including this cautionary statement to make applicable and take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for any such forward-looking statements. We caution investors that any forward-looking statements presented in this prospectus, or which management may make orally or in writing from time to time, are based on beliefs and assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. When we use the words “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” or similar expressions or their negatives, as well as statements in future tense, we intend to identify forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, beliefs and expectations, such forward-looking statements are not predictions of future events or guarantees of future performance, and our actual results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Some factors that might cause such a difference include the following: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to reduce its spread on our business and on the economy and capital markets generally; general volatility of the capital markets and the market price of our common stock and our preferred stock; changes in our business strategy, availability, terms and deployment of capital; our ability to refinance existing indebtedness at or prior to maturity on favorable terms, or at all; availability of qualified personnel; changes in our industry, interest rates or the general economy; the degree and nature of our competition; the outcomes of ongoing litigation; our ability to identify new acquisitions or dispositions and close on pending acquisitions or dispositions and the other factors described in the risk factors described in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and in other documents that we file from time to time with the SEC. Given these uncertainties, undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by law.
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC using a “shelf” registration process. Under this process, the selling stockholder named in this prospectus may sell our common stock from time to time. This prospectus provides you with a general description of our common stock that the selling stockholder may offer. Each time the selling stockholder sells shares of our common stock, the selling stockholder will provide a prospectus supplement containing specific information about the terms of the applicable offering, as required by law. Such prospectus supplement may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement together with additional information described below under the heading “Where To Find Additional Information” before you decide whether to invest in our common stock.
The selling stockholder may from time to time offer and sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any or all of the shares of our common stock covered by this prospectus through underwriters or dealers, directly to purchasers or through broker-dealers or agents. A prospectus supplement may describe the terms of the plan of distribution and set forth the names of any underwriters involved in the sale of the securities. See “Plan of Distribution” for more information on this topic.
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WHERE TO FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3, including exhibits, schedules and amendments filed with the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, under the Securities Act with respect to the securities that may be offered by this prospectus. This prospectus is a part of that registration statement, but does not contain all of the information in the registration statement. We have omitted parts of the registration statement in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information with respect to our company and the securities that may be offered by this prospectus, reference is made to the registration statement, including the exhibits and schedules to the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to in this prospectus are not necessarily complete and, where that contract or other document has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, each statement in this prospectus is qualified in all respects by the exhibit to which the reference relates.
We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act, and, in accordance therewith, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, including the exhibits and schedules to the registration statement, and the reports, statements or other information we file with the SEC are all available on the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov). You may also access our SEC filings free of charge on our website at http://www.farmlandpartners.com. You should not consider information on our website to be part of this prospectus.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
We incorporate information into this prospectus by reference, which means that we disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, except to the extent superseded by information contained herein or by information contained in documents filed with or furnished to the SEC after the date of this prospectus. This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents set forth below that have been previously filed or furnished, as applicable, with the SEC:
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our Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 27, 2021 and February 18, 2021; and
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our Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on September 3, 2015, which incorporates the description of our common stock from our Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Reg. No. 333-203798), and all reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.
We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus additional documents that we may file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act from the date of this prospectus until the selling stockholder has sold all of the securities to which this prospectus relates or the offering is otherwise terminated; provided, however, that we are not incorporating any information furnished under either Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any current report on Form 8-K. These documents may include, among others, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as proxy statements.
You may obtain copies of any of these filings by contacting Farmland Partners Inc. as described below, or by contacting the SEC or accessing its website as described above. Documents incorporated by reference are available without charge, excluding all exhibits unless an exhibit has been specifically incorporated by reference into those documents, by requesting them in writing, by telephone or via the Internet at:
Farmland Partners Inc.
4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450
Denver, Colorado 80237
(720) 452-3100
Website: http://www.farmlandpartners.com
4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450
Denver, Colorado 80237
(720) 452-3100
Website: http://www.farmlandpartners.com
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THE INFORMATION CONTAINED ON, OR ACCESSIBLE THROUGH, OUR WEBSITE IS NOT INCORPORATED INTO AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A PART OF THIS PROSPECTUS.
OUR COMPANY
We are an internally managed public farmland real estate investment trust, with a portfolio spanning approximately 155,000 acres across 16 states as of December 31, 2020. Our company is currently diversified across more than 100 tenant farmers who grow more than 26 major commercial crops. As of the date of our most recent Annual Report, approximately 70% of our farmland portfolio (by value) is used to grow primary crops, such as corn, soybeans, wheat, rice and cotton, and the remaining 30% is used to grow specialty crops, such as almonds, citrus, blueberries, vegetables and edible beans. We believe our portfolio gives investors exposure to the increasing global food demand trend in the face of growing scarcity of high quality farmland and reflects the approximate breakdown of U.S. agricultural output between primary crops and animal protein (whose production relies principally on primary crops as feed), on one hand, and specialty crops, on the other.
In addition, under the FPI Loan Program, we make loans to third-party farmers (both tenant and non-tenant) to provide financing for working capital requirements and operational farming activities, farming infrastructure projects, and for other farming and agricultural real estate related purposes. As of the first quarter of 2021 we are also engaged in farmland asset management on behalf of third parties.
We were incorporated in Maryland on September 27, 2013, and we are the sole member of the general partner of the Operating Partnership, which is a Delaware limited partnership that was formed on September 27, 2013. All of our assets are held by, and our operations are primarily conducted through, the Operating Partnership and its wholly owned subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2020, we owned 95.4% of the Common Units of limited partnership interests in the Operating Partnership.
We have elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) under Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, commencing with our short taxable year ended December 31, 2014.
Our executive offices are located at 4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450, Denver, Colorado 80237. Our telephone number at our executive offices is (720) 452-3100 and our corporate website is www.farmlandpartners.com. The information on, or accessible through, our website is not incorporated into and does not constitute a part of this prospectus or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the SEC.
RISK FACTORS
Investment in our common stock involves risks. Before purchasing shares of our common stock from the selling stockholder, you should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated in this prospectus by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 and the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
USE OF PROCEEDS
We will not receive any cash proceeds from the possible resale from time to time of some or all of such shares of our common stock by the selling stockholder named in this prospectus. The proceeds from the offering are solely for the account of the selling stockholder.
We will pay all expenses incident to the registration of the potential issuance of the shares of our common stock offered herein, which we estimate to be approximately $61,519.22.
DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK
The following summary of the material terms of our common stock does not purport to be complete. For a complete description, we refer you to the Maryland General Corporation Law, or the MGCL, and to our charter and bylaws. For a more complete understanding of our common stock, we encourage you to read carefully this entire prospectus, as well as our charter and bylaws, each of which is incorporated herein by reference, and the
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following summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to our charter and bylaws. See “Where To Find Additional Information” for information on how to obtain documents from us, including our charter and bylaws.
General
We are authorized to issue 500,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, or our common stock. Our charter authorizes our Board of Directors, with the approval of a majority of the entire Board of Directors and without any action on the part of our stockholders, to amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of stock or the number of authorized shares of stock of any class or series without stockholder approval. As of April 5, 2021, we had 30,839,891 outstanding shares of common stock. Under Maryland law, stockholders generally are not liable for a corporation’s debts or obligations.
Dividends, Liquidation and Other Rights
Subject to the preferential rights of holders of any other class or series of stock , including the rights of holders of our Series B Preferred Stock and to the provisions of our charter regarding restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, holders of our common stock:
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have the right to receive ratably any distributions from funds legally available therefor, when, as and if authorized by our Board of Directors and declared by us; and
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are entitled to share ratably in the assets of our company legally available for distribution to the holders of our common stock in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs.
There are generally no redemption, sinking fund, conversion, preemptive or appraisal rights with respect to our common stock.
Voting Rights of Common Stock
Subject to the provisions of our charter regarding restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock and except as may otherwise be specified in the terms of any class or series of stock, each outstanding share of our common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election of directors and, except as may be provided with respect to any other class or series of stock, the holders of such shares will possess the exclusive voting power. There is no cumulative voting in the election of our directors, and directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast in the election of directors. Consequently, at each annual meeting of stockholders, the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock can elect all of the directors then standing for election, and the holders of the remaining shares will not be able to elect any directors.
Power to Reclassify and Issue Stock
Our Board of Directors may classify any unissued shares of preferred stock, and reclassify any unissued shares of common stock or any previously classified but unissued shares of preferred stock into other classes or series of stock, including one or more classes or series of stock that have priority over our common stock with respect to voting rights or distributions or upon liquidation, and authorize us to issue the newly classified shares. Prior to the issuance of shares of each class or series, our Board of Directors is required by the MGCL and our charter to set, subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption for each such class or series. These actions can be taken without stockholder approval, unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law, the terms of any other class or series of our stock or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our stock may be then listed or quoted.
Power to Increase or Decrease Authorized Stock and Issue Additional Shares of Our Common Stock
Our charter authorizes our Board of Directors, with the approval of a majority of the entire Board of Directors, to amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of stock
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or the number of authorized shares of stock of any class or series without stockholder approval. We believe that the power of our Board of Directors to increase or decrease the number of authorized shares of stock and to classify or reclassify unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock and thereafter to cause us to issue such shares of stock provides us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings and acquisitions and in meeting other needs which might arise. The additional classes or series, as well as the additional shares of stock, will be available for future issuance without further action by our stockholders, unless such action is required by applicable law, the terms of any other class or series of stock or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our securities may be listed or traded. Our Board of Directors could authorize us to issue a class or series that could, depending upon the terms of the particular class or series, delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control of our company that might involve a premium price for our stockholders or otherwise be in their best interests.
Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer
In order to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, our shares of stock must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made) or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Also, not more than 50% of the value of our outstanding shares of capital stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities) during the last half of a taxable year (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made).
Because our Board of Directors believes it is at present essential for us to qualify as a REIT, among other purposes, our charter, subject to certain exceptions, contains restrictions on the number of our shares of stock that a person may own. Our charter provides that, among other things and subject to certain exceptions, no person may beneficially or constructively own more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock, or the ownership limit. Our Board of Directors, in its sole and absolute discretion, may exempt a person, prospectively or retroactively, from this ownership limit if certain conditions are satisfied. For a more complete description of these restrictions and the constructive ownership rules, see “Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our shares of common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.
CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND OUR CHARTER AND BYLAWS
Although the following summary describes certain provisions of Maryland law and the material provisions of our charter and bylaws, it is not a complete description of our charter and bylaws, copies of which are filed as exhibits to and are incorporated by reference into, the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or of Maryland law. “Where To Find Additional Information.”
Our Board of Directors
Our charter and bylaws provide that the number of directors of our company may be established, increased or decreased by our Board of Directors, but may not be less than the minimum number required under the MGCL, which is one, or more than fifteen. We have elected by a provision of our charter to be subject to a provision of Maryland law requiring that, subject to the rights of holders of one or more classes or series of preferred stock, any vacancy may be filled only by a majority of the remaining directors, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum, and any director elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the full term of the directorship in which such vacancy occurred and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies.
Each member of our Board of Directors is elected by our stockholders to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies. Holders of shares of our common stock have no right to cumulative voting in the election of directors, and directors are elected by
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a plurality of the votes cast in the election of directors. Consequently, at each annual meeting of stockholders, the holders of a majority of the shares of our common stock are able to elect all of our directors.
Removal of Directors
Our charter provides that, subject to the rights of holders of one or more classes or series of preferred stock to elect or remove one or more directors, a director may be removed only for cause (as defined in our charter) and only by the affirmative vote of holders of shares entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors. This provision, when coupled with the exclusive power of our Board of Directors to fill vacant directorships, may preclude stockholders from removing incumbent directors except for cause and by a substantial affirmative vote and filling the vacancies created by such removal with their own nominees.
Business Combinations
Under the MGCL, certain “business combinations” (including a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities) between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder (i.e., any person (other than the corporation or any subsidiary) who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock after the date on which the corporation had 100 or more beneficial owners of its stock, or an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period immediately prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding stock of the corporation after the date on which the corporation had 100 or more beneficial owners of its stock) or an affiliate of an interested stockholder, are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Thereafter, any such business combination between the Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder generally must be recommended by the board of directors of such corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least (1) 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation and (2) two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation other than shares held by the interested stockholder with whom (or with whose affiliate) the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder, unless, among other conditions, the corporation’s common stockholders receive a minimum price (as defined in the MGCL) for their shares and the consideration is received in cash or in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares. A person is not an interested stockholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which the person otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. The board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by it.
The statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by the board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder became an interested stockholder. As permitted by the MGCL, our Board of Directors has adopted a resolution exempting any business combination between us and any other person from the provisions of this statute, provided that the business combination is first approved by our Board of Directors (including a majority of directors who are not affiliates or associates of such persons). However, our Board of Directors may repeal or modify this resolution at any time in the future, in which case the applicable provisions of this statute will become applicable to business combinations between us and interested stockholders.
Control Share Acquisitions
The MGCL provides that holders of “control shares” of a Maryland corporation acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights with respect to those shares except to the extent approved by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by stockholders entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, excluding votes cast by (1) the person who makes or proposes to make a control share acquisition, (2) an officer of the corporation or (3) an employee of the corporation who is also a director of the corporation. “Control shares” are voting shares of stock which, if aggregated with all other such shares of stock previously acquired by the acquirer or in respect of which the acquirer is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would
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entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power: (1) one-tenth or more but less than one-third, (2) one-third or more but less than a majority or (3) a majority or more of all voting power. Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval. A “control share acquisition” means the acquisition of issued and outstanding control shares, subject to certain exceptions.
A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition, upon satisfaction of certain conditions (including an undertaking to pay expenses), may compel the board of directors to call a special meeting of stockholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the shares. If no request for a meeting is made, the corporation may itself present the question at any stockholders meeting.
If voting rights are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then, subject to certain conditions and limitations, the corporation may redeem any or all of the control shares (except those for which voting rights have previously been approved) for fair value determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquirer or of any meeting of stockholders at which the voting rights of such shares are considered and not approved. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a stockholders meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other stockholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of such appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquirer in the control share acquisition.
The control share acquisition statute does not apply to, among other things, (1) shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or (2) acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation.
Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any acquisition by any person of shares of our stock. There can be no assurance that such provision will not be amended or eliminated at any time in the future by our Board of Directors.
Subtitle 8
Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in its charter or bylaws or a resolution of its Board of Directors, without stockholder approval, and notwithstanding any contrary provision in the charter or bylaws, to any or all of five provisions of the MGCL which provide, respectively, that:
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the corporation’s board of directors will be divided into three classes;
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the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the votes cast in the election of directors generally is required to remove a director;
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the number of directors may be fixed only by vote of the directors;
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a vacancy on its board of directors be filled only by the remaining directors and that directors elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred; and
•
the request of stockholders entitled to cast at least a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting is required for stockholders to require the calling of a special meeting of stockholders.
We have elected by a provision in our charter to be subject to the provisions of Subtitle 8 relating to the filling of vacancies on our Board of Directors. In addition, without our having elected to be subject to Subtitle 8, our charter and bylaws already (1) require the affirmative vote of holders of shares entitled to cast at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors to remove a director from our Board of Directors, (2) vest in our Board of Directors the exclusive power to fix the number of directors and (3) require, unless called by our chairman, our president, our chief executive officer or our Board of Directors, the request of stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting to call a special meeting. Our Board of Directors is not currently classified. In the
7
future, our Board of Directors may elect, without stockholder approval, to classify our Board of Directors or elect to be subject to any of the other provisions of Subtitle 8.
Meetings of Stockholders
Pursuant to our bylaws, an annual meeting of our stockholders for the purpose of the election of directors and the transaction of any business will be held on a date and at the time and place set by our Board of Directors. Each of our directors is elected by our stockholders to serve until the next annual meeting and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies under Maryland law. In addition, our chairman, our president, our chief executive officer or our Board of Directors may call a special meeting of our stockholders. Subject to the provisions of our bylaws, a special meeting of our stockholders to act on any matter that may properly be considered by our stockholders will also be called by our secretary upon the written request of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting on such matter, accompanied by the information required by our bylaws. Our secretary will inform the requesting stockholders of the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing the notice of meeting (including our proxy materials), and the requesting stockholder must pay such estimated cost before our secretary may prepare and mail the notice of the special meeting.
Amendments to Our Charter and Bylaws
Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation generally cannot amend its charter unless approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter unless a lesser percentage (but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) is set forth in the corporation’s charter. Except for certain amendments related to the removal of directors and the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock and the vote required to amend those provisions (which must be declared advisable by our Board of Directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast not less than two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter), our charter generally may be amended only if the amendment is declared advisable by our Board of Directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Our Board of Directors, with the approval of a majority of the entire board, and without any action by our stockholders, may also amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series we are authorized to issue.
Our Board of Directors has the exclusive power to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws and to make new bylaws.
Extraordinary Transactions
Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve, merge, sell all or substantially all of its assets, engage in a statutory share exchange or engage in similar transactions outside the ordinary course of business unless approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter unless a lesser percentage (but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) is set forth in the corporation’s charter. As permitted by the MGCL, our charter provides that any of these actions may be approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Many of our operating assets are and will be held by our subsidiaries, and these subsidiaries may be able to merge or sell all or substantially all of their assets without the approval of our stockholders.
Appraisal Rights
Our charter provides that our stockholders generally will not be entitled to exercise statutory appraisal rights.
Dissolution
Our dissolution must be declared advisable by a majority of our entire Board of Directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
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Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business
Our bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders, nominations of individuals for election to our Board of Directors and the proposal of other business to be considered by our stockholders at an annual meeting of stockholders may be made only (1) pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (2) by or at the direction of our Board of Directors or (3) by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record both at the time of giving of notice and at the time of the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting on the election of the individual so nominated or such other business and who has complied with the advance notice procedures set forth in our bylaws, including a requirement to provide certain information about the stockholder and its affiliates and the nominee or business proposal, as applicable.
With respect to special meetings of stockholders, only the business specified in our notice of meeting may be brought before the meeting. Nominations of individuals for election to our Board of Directors may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected only (1) by or at the direction of our Board of Directors or (2) provided that the special meeting has been properly called in accordance with our bylaws for the purpose of electing directors, by a stockholder who is a stockholder of record both at the time of giving of notice and at the time of the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting on the election of each individual so nominated and who has complied with the advance notice provisions set forth in our bylaws, including a requirement to provide certain information about the stockholder and its affiliates and the nominee.
Anti-Takeover Effect of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and Our Charter and Bylaws
Our charter and bylaws and Maryland law contain provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a change in control or other transaction that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders, including:
•
supermajority vote and cause requirements for removal of directors;
•
requirement that stockholders holding at least a majority of our outstanding common stock must act together to make a written request before our stockholders can require us to call a special meeting of stockholders;
•
provisions that vacancies on our Board of Directors may be filled only by the remaining directors for the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred;
•
the power of our Board of Directors, without stockholder approval, to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of stock or the number of shares of any class or series of stock;
•
the power of our Board of Directors to cause us to issue additional shares of stock of any class or series and to fix the terms of one or more classes or series of stock without stockholder approval;
•
the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock; and
•
advance notice requirements for director nominations and stockholder proposals.
Likewise, if the resolution opting out of the business combination provisions of the MGCL was repealed, or the business combination is not approved by our Board of Directors, or the provision in the bylaws opting out of the control share acquisition provisions of the MGCL were rescinded, these provisions of the MGCL could have similar anti-takeover effects.
Ownership Limit
Subject to certain exceptions, our charter contains certain ownership limits with respect to our stock. Our charter, among other restrictions, prohibits the beneficial or constructive ownership by any person of more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock, excluding any shares that are not treated as outstanding for federal income tax purposes. Our Board of Directors, in its sole and absolute discretion, may exempt a person, prospectively or retroactively, from this ownership limit if certain conditions are satisfied. For a fuller
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description of these restrictions and the constructive ownership rules, see “Description of Stock — Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”
Limitation of Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from (1) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (2) active and deliberate dishonesty that is established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. Our charter contains a provision that eliminates such liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
Our charter and bylaws provide for indemnification of our officers and directors against liabilities to the maximum extent permitted by the MGCL, as amended from time to time.
The MGCL requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made, or threatened to be made, a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made, or threatened to be made, a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:
•
the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (1) was committed in bad faith or (2) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty;
•
the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or
•
in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.
However, under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification if it determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, and then only for expenses. In addition, the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon its receipt of:
•
a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation; and
•
a written undertaking by the director or officer or on the director’s or officer’s behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the director or officer did not meet the standard of conduct.
Our charter authorizes us, and our bylaws obligate us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of such a proceeding to:
•
any present or former director or officer of our company who is made, or threatened to be made, a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity; or
•
any individual who, while a director or officer of our company and at our request, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, trustee, member or manager of another corporation, real estate investment trust, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made, or threatened to be made, a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity.
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Our charter and bylaws also permit us to indemnify and advance expenses to any individual who served our predecessor in any of the capacities described above and to any employee or agent of our company or our predecessor.
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers that provide for indemnification to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
REIT Qualification
Our charter provides that our Board of Directors may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without approval of our stockholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interests to continue to qualify as a REIT.
SELLING STOCKHOLDER
The selling stockholder may from time to time offer and sell, pursuant to this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, post-effective amendment or filing we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus, the shares of our common stock set forth opposite its name in the table below under the heading “Shares of Common Stock Offered Pursuant to this Resale Offering.”
The shares of our common stock offered herein were issued to the selling stockholder pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 7, 2020, between us and the selling stockholder. Pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, we agreed to register the resale of the shares of our common stock issued to the selling stockholder within 180 days of the date of the Stock Purchase Agreement. The registration statement of which this prospectus is a part is being filed to satisfy our contractual obligations to the selling stockholder under the Stock Purchase Agreement.
The following table sets forth information, as of April 5, 2021, with respect to the selling stockholder and the number of shares of our common stock that may be sold by the selling stockholder pursuant to this prospectus. The information is based on information provided by or on behalf of the selling stockholder. Because the selling stockholder may offer all or some portion of the shares of our common stock, we have assumed for purposes of completing the last two columns in the table that all of our common stock offered hereby will have been sold by the selling stockholder upon termination of sales pursuant to this prospectus. In addition, since the date on which the selling stockholder provided the information, the selling stockholder may have sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of all or a portion of its common stock in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Any changed information given to us by the selling stockholder will be set forth in prospectus supplements, post-effective amendments or in filings we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus if and when necessary.
Additional selling stockholders not named in this prospectus will not be able to use this prospectus for resales until they are named in the selling stockholders table by prospectus supplement, post-effective amendment or in a filing we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Transferees, successors and donees of the identified selling stockholders will not be able to use this prospectus for resales until they are named in the selling stockholders table by prospectus supplement, post-effective amendment or in a filing we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. If required, we will add transferees, successors and donees by prospectus supplement, post-effective amendment or in a filing we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus in instances where the transferee, successor or donee has acquired its shares from the holder named in this prospectus after the effective date of this prospectus.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3(d) promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act.
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|
Name of Selling Stockholder
|
| |
Shares of
Common Stock Beneficially Owned Prior to this Offering |
| |
Percentage
of Outstanding Common Stock Beneficially Owned Prior to the Completion of this Offering(2) |
| |
Shares of
Common Stock Offered Pursuant to this Resale Offering |
| |
Shares of
Common Stock Beneficially Owned After Completion of this Offering |
| |
Percentage
of Outstanding Common Stock Beneficially Owned After Completion of this Offering(2) |
| |||||||||||||||
|
Good Seed Capital LLC(1)
|
| | | | 1,302,250 | | | | | | 4.2% | | | | | | 1,250,000 | | | | | | 52,250 | | | | | | * | | |
*
less than 1%
(1)
Good Seed Capital LLC is controlled by Thomas Heneghan, a member of the Company’s board of directors, and, as a result, Mr. Heneghan may be deemed to have voting and dispositive power of the shares of common stock held by Good Seed Capital LLC.
(2)
Based on a total of 30,839,891 shares of our common stock outstanding as of April 5, 2021.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
This prospectus relates to our possible resale from time to time of up to 1,250,000 shares of our common stock to the selling stockholder named in this prospectus. We are registering the issuance of shares of our common stock to permit the selling stockholder to sell such shares without restriction in the open market. However, the registration of the potential resale of the shares of our common stock hereunder does not necessarily mean that that the selling stockholder will sell the shares of our common stock registered hereby.
We will pay all expenses incident to the registration of the shares of our common stock offered herein (other than any discounts or commissions to any underwriter or broker attributable to the sale of shares of our common stock or any fees or expenses incurred by a holder of the shares of our common stock that, according to the written instructions of any regulatory authority, we are not permitted to pay), which expenses we estimate in Part II of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
The selling stockholder may offer and sell our common stock from time to time in one or more transactions at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale or at negotiated prices. These prices will be determined by the selling stockholder or by agreement between such holder and underwriters or dealers who may receive fees or commissions in connection with such sale. Such sales may be effected by a variety of methods, including the following:
•
in market transactions;
•
in privately negotiated transactions;
•
through the writing of options;
•
in a block trade in which a broker-dealer will attempt to sell a block of common stock as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;
•
if we agree to it prior to the distribution, through one or more underwriters on a firm commitment or best-efforts basis;
•
through broker-dealers, who may act as agents or principals;
•
directly to one or more purchasers;
•
through agents; or
•
in any combination of the above or by any other legally available means.
In connection with the sales of our common stock, the selling stockholder may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers, who may in turn engage in short sales of our common stock, deliver our
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common stock to close out such short positions, or loan or pledge our common stock to broker-dealers that in turn may sell such shares.
If a material arrangement with any underwriter, broker, dealer or other agent is entered into for the sale of any of our common stock through a secondary distribution or a purchase by a broker or dealer, or if other material changes are made in the plan of distribution of our common stock, a prospectus supplement will be filed, if necessary, under the Securities Act disclosing the material terms and conditions of such arrangement. The underwriter or underwriters with respect to an underwritten offering of our common stock and the other material terms and conditions of the underwriting will be set forth in a prospectus supplement relating to such offering and, if an underwriting syndicate is used, the managing underwriter or underwriters will be set forth on the cover of the prospectus supplement. In connection with the sale of our common stock, underwriters will receive compensation in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of our common stock for whom they may act as agent. Underwriters may sell to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent.
To our knowledge, there are currently no plans, arrangements or understandings between the selling stockholder and any underwriter, broker-dealer or agent regarding the sale of the shares of our common stock by the selling stockholder. The selling stockholder may decide to sell all or a portion of our common stock offered by it pursuant to this prospectus or may decide not to sell our common stock under this prospectus. In addition, the selling stockholder may transfer, devise or give our common stock by other means not described in this prospectus. Any common stock covered by this prospectus that qualify for sale pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act may be sold under Rule 144 rather than pursuant to this prospectus.
The selling stockholder and any underwriters, broker-dealers or agents participating in the distribution of our common stock may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any profit on the sale of our common stock by the selling stockholder and any commissions received by any such underwriters, broker-dealers or agents may be deemed to be underwriting commissions under the Securities Act. If the selling stockholder was deemed to be an underwriter, the selling stockholder may be subject to statutory liabilities including, but not limited to, those of Sections 11, 12 and 17 of the Securities Act and Rule 10b-5 under the Exchange Act.
The selling stockholder and any other person participating in the distribution will be subject to the applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, including, without limitation, Regulation M, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of our common stock by the selling stockholder and any other relevant person. Furthermore, Regulation M may restrict the ability of any person engaged in the distribution of our common stock to engage in market-making activities with respect to the particular common stock being distributed. All of the above may affect the marketability of our common stock and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities with respect to our common stock.
Under the securities laws of certain states, the shares of our common stock may be sold in those states only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states the shares of our common stock may not be sold unless the shares have been registered or qualified for sale in the state or an exemption from registration or qualification is available and complied with.
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
This section summarizes the material U.S. federal income tax considerations that you, as a prospective investor, may consider relevant in connection with the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock and our election to be taxed as a REIT. As used in this section, the terms “we” and “our” refer solely to Farmland Partners, Inc. and not to our subsidiaries and affiliates, which have not elected to be taxed as REITs for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
This discussion does not exhaust all possible tax considerations and does not provide a detailed discussion of any state, local or foreign tax considerations. Nor does this discussion address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to particular investors in light of their personal investment
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or tax circumstances, or to certain types of investors that are subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws, such as insurance companies, tax-exempt organizations (except to the limited extent discussed below under “— Taxation of Tax-Exempt Stockholders”), financial institutions, broker-dealers, individuals subject to the alternative minimum tax, persons holding our stock as part of a hedge, straddle or other risk reduction, constructive sale or conversion transaction, non-U.S. individuals and foreign corporations (except to the limited extent discussed below under “— Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders”) and other persons subject to special tax rules. Moreover, this summary assumes that our stockholders hold our stock as a “capital asset” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which generally means property held for investment.
The statements in this section are based on the current U.S. federal income tax laws, including the Code, the Treasury Regulations, rulings and other administrative interpretations and practices of the IRS, and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect, and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion is for general purposes only and is not tax advice. We cannot assure you that new laws, interpretations of law, or court decisions, any of which may take effect retroactively, will not cause any statement in this section to be inaccurate.
We urge you to consult your own tax advisor regarding the specific tax consequences to you of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our stock and of our election to be taxed as a REIT. Specifically, you should consult your own tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal, state, local, foreign, and other tax consequences of such acquisition, ownership, disposition and election, and regarding potential changes in applicable tax laws.
Taxation of Our Company
We elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our short taxable year ended December 31, 2014. We believe that, commencing with such short taxable year, we have been organized and have operated in such a manner as to maintain our qualification for taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws, and we intend to continue to operate in such a manner. However, no assurances can be provided regarding our qualification as a REIT because such qualification depends on our ability to satisfy numerous asset, income, stock ownership and distribution tests described below, the satisfaction of which will depend, in part, on our operating results.
The sections of the Code relating to qualification, operation and taxation as a REIT are highly technical and complex. The following discussion sets forth only the material aspects of those sections. This summary is qualified in its entirety by the applicable Code provisions and the related Treasury Regulations and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof.
In connection with the filing of this registration statement, Morrison & Foerster LLP has rendered an opinion to the effect that we have been organized and have operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws for our taxable years ended December 31, 2014 through December 31, 2020, and our current and proposed method of operation will enable us to continue to satisfy the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws for our taxable year ending December 31, 2021 and thereafter. Investors should be aware that Morrison & Foerster LLP’s opinion is based on the U.S. federal income tax laws governing qualification as a REIT as of the date of such opinion, which is subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis, is not binding on the IRS or any court, and speaks only as of the date issued. In addition, Morrison & Foerster LLP’s opinion is based on customary assumptions and is conditioned upon certain representations made by us as to factual matters, including representations regarding the nature of our assets and the future conduct of our business. Moreover, our continued qualification and taxation as a REIT depend on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual results, certain qualification tests set forth in the U.S. federal income tax laws. Those qualification tests involve, among other things, the percentage of our gross income that we earn from specified sources, the percentage of our assets that falls within specified categories, the diversity of our stock ownership and the percentage of our earnings that we distribute. Morrison & Foerster LLP will not review our compliance with those tests on a continuing basis. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operations for any particular taxable year will satisfy such requirements. Morrison & Foerster LLP’s opinion does not foreclose the possibility that we may have to use one or more of the REIT savings provisions described below, which may require us to pay a material
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excise or penalty tax in order to maintain our REIT qualification. For a discussion of the tax consequences of our failure to maintain our qualification as a REIT, see “— Failure to Qualify as a REIT” below.
If we qualify as a REIT, generally we will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the taxable income that we distribute to our stockholders because we will be entitled to a deduction for dividends that we pay. Such tax treatment avoids the “double taxation,” or taxation at both the corporate and stockholder levels, that generally results from owning stock in a corporation. In general, income generated by a REIT is taxed only at the stockholder level if such income is distributed by the REIT to its stockholders. However, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in the following circumstances:
•
We will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on any REIT taxable income, including net capital gain, that we do not distribute to our stockholders during, or within a specified time period after, the calendar year in which the income is earned.
•
We will be subject to tax, at the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate, on net income from the sale or other disposition of property acquired through foreclosure (“foreclosure property”) that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, and other non-qualifying income from foreclosure property.
•
We will be subject to a 100% tax on net income from sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business.
•
If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as described below under “— Gross Income Tests,” but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because we meet certain other requirements, we will be subject to a 100% tax on:
•
the greater of the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, in either case, multiplied by
•
a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.
•
If we fail to distribute during a calendar year at least the sum of: (1) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for the year, (2) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for the year, and (3) any undistributed taxable income required to be distributed from earlier periods, then we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the amount we actually distributed.
•
If we fail any of the asset tests, other than a de minimis failure of the 5% asset test, the 10% vote test or the 10% value test, as described below under “— Asset Tests,” as long as (1) the failure was due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, (2) we file a description of each asset that caused such failure with the IRS, and (3) we dispose of the assets causing the failure or otherwise comply with the asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identify such failure, we will pay a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate multiplied by the net income from the nonqualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset tests.
•
If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification, other than the gross income tests and the asset tests, and such failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, we will be required to pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure.•
•
Generally, we will be subject to a 100% excise tax on transactions with a taxable REIT subsidiary, or TRS, that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis.
•
If we acquire any asset from a C corporation, or a corporation that generally is subject to full corporate-level tax, in a merger or other transaction in which we acquire a basis in the asset that is determined by reference either to the C corporation’s basis in the asset or to another asset, we will pay tax at the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate applicable if we elect to recognize such gain immediately or subsequently recognize gain on the taxable disposition of the asset during the 5-year period after we acquire the asset. The amount of gain on which we will pay tax generally is the lesser of:
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•
the amount of gain that we recognize at the time of the sale or disposition, and
•
the amount of gain that we would have recognized if we had sold the asset at the time we acquired it.
•
The earnings of our subsidiary entities that are C corporations, including TRSs, will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax.
•
We may elect to retain and pay income tax on our net capital gain.
In addition, we may be subject to a variety of taxes, including payroll taxes and state, local and foreign income, property and other taxes, on our assets and operations. We also could be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.
Requirements for Qualification as a REIT
A REIT is a corporation, trust or association that satisfies each of the following requirements:
(1)
It is managed by one or more trustees or directors;
(2)
Its beneficial ownership is evidenced by transferable shares of stock, or by transferable shares or certificates of beneficial interest;
(3)
It would be taxable as a domestic corporation, but for Sections 856 through 860 of the Code, i.e., the REIT provisions;
(4)
It is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to special provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws;
(5)
At least 100 persons are beneficial owners of its stock or shares of beneficial interest (determined without reference to any rules of attribution);
(6)
Not more than 50% in value of its outstanding stock or shares of beneficial interest are owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals, which the U.S. federal income tax laws define to include certain entities, during the last half of any taxable year;
(7)
It elects to be a REIT, or has made such election for a previous taxable year, and satisfies all relevant filing and other administrative requirements established by the IRS that must be met to qualify to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
(8)
It uses a calendar year for U.S. federal income tax purposes and complies with the recordkeeping requirements of the U.S. federal income tax laws; and
(9)
It meets certain other requirements, described below, regarding the sources of its gross income, the nature and diversification of its assets and the distribution of its income.
We must satisfy requirements 1 through 4, and 8, during our entire taxable year and must satisfy requirement 5 during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months. If we comply with certain requirements for ascertaining the beneficial ownership of our outstanding stock in a taxable year and have no reason to know that we violated requirement 6, we will be deemed to have satisfied requirement 6 for that taxable year. For purposes of determining stock ownership under requirement 6, an “individual” generally includes a supplemental unemployment compensation benefits plan, a private foundation, or a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes. An “individual,” however, generally does not include a trust that is a qualified employee pension or profit sharing trust under the U.S. federal income tax laws, and beneficiaries of such a trust will be treated as holding our stock in proportion to their actuarial interests in the trust for purposes of requirement 6.
Our charter provides for restrictions regarding the ownership and transfer of our stock. We believe that we have sufficient diversity of ownership to allow us to satisfy requirements 5 and 6 above. The restrictions in our charter are intended, among other things, to assist us in satisfying requirements 5 and 6 described
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above. These restrictions, however, may not ensure that we will be able to satisfy such share ownership requirements in all cases. If we fail to satisfy these share ownership requirements, our qualification as a REIT may terminate. For purposes of requirement 8, we have adopted December 31 as our year -end for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and thereby satisfy this requirement.
Qualified REIT Subsidiaries. A “qualified REIT subsidiary”, or QRS, generally is a corporation, all of the stock of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by a REIT and that is not treated as a TRS. A corporation that is a QRS is treated as a division of the REIT and not as a separate entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Thus, all assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction, and credit of a QRS are treated as assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction, and credit of the REIT that directly or indirectly owns the QRS. Consequently, in applying the REIT requirements described herein, the separate existence of any QRS that we own will be ignored, and all assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction, and credit of such subsidiary will be treated as our assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction, and credit.
Other Disregarded Entities and Partnerships. An unincorporated domestic entity, such as a partnership or limited liability company, that has a single owner, as determined under U.S. federal income tax laws, generally is not treated as an entity separate from its owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We own various direct and indirect interests in entities that are classified as partnerships and limited liability companies for state law purposes. Nevertheless, many of these entities currently are not treated as entities separate from their owners for U.S. federal income tax purposes because such entities are treated as having a single owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Consequently, the assets and liabilities, and items of income, deduction, and credit, of such entities will be treated as our assets and liabilities, and items of income, deduction, and credit, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, including the application of the various REIT qualification requirements.
An unincorporated domestic entity with two or more owners, as determined under the U.S. federal income tax laws, generally is taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In the case of a REIT that is an owner in an entity that is taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the REIT is treated as owning its proportionate share of the assets of the entity and as earning its allocable share of the gross income of the entity for purposes of the applicable REIT qualification tests. Thus, our proportionate share of the assets and items of gross income of our Operating Partnership and any other partnership, joint venture, or limited liability company that is taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes is treated as our assets and items of gross income for purposes of applying the various REIT qualification tests. For purposes of the 10% value test (described in “— Asset Tests”), our proportionate share is based on our proportionate interest in the equity interests and certain debt securities issued by the entity. For all of the other asset and income tests, our proportionate share is based on our proportionate interest in the capital of the entity.
We have control of our Operating Partnership and intend to operate it in a manner consistent with the requirements for our qualification as a REIT. We may from time to time be a limited partner or non-managing member in a partnership or limited liability company. If a partnership or limited liability company in which we own an interest takes or expects to take actions that could jeopardize our status as a REIT or require us to pay tax, we may be forced to dispose of our interest in such entity. In addition, it is possible that a partnership or limited liability company could take an action which could cause us to fail a gross income or asset test, and that we would not become aware of such action in time to dispose of our interest in the partnership or limited liability company or take other corrective action on a timely basis. In that case, we could fail to qualify as a REIT unless we were entitled to relief, as described below.
Taxable REIT Subsidiaries. A REIT is permitted to own, directly or indirectly, up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs. The subsidiary and the REIT generally must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary as a TRS. However, a corporation of which a TRS directly or indirectly owns more than 35% of the voting power or value of the securities is automatically treated as a TRS without an election.
Unlike a QRS, the separate existence of a TRS is not ignored for U.S. federal income tax purposes and a TRS is a fully taxable corporation subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on its earnings. We will not be treated as holding the assets of any TRS or as receiving the income earned by any TRS. Rather, we will treat the stock issued by any TRS as an asset and will treat any distributions paid to us from any TRS as income. This treatment may affect our compliance with the gross income tests and asset tests. Restrictions
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imposed on REITs and their TRSs are intended to ensure that TRSs will be subject to appropriate levels of U.S. federal income taxation. These restrictions limit the deductibility of interest paid or accrued by a TRS to its parent REIT and impose a 100% excise tax on transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT or the REIT’s tenants that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis, such as any redetermined rents, redetermined deductions, excess interest or redetermined TRS service income. In general, redetermined rents are rents from real property that are overstated as a result of any services furnished to any of our tenants by a TRS of ours, redetermined deductions and excess interest represent any amounts that are deducted by a TRS of ours for amounts paid to us that are in excess of the amounts that would have been deducted based on arm’s length negotiations, and redetermined TRS service income is income of a TRS that is understated as a result of services provided to us or on our behalf. Rents we receive will not constitute redetermined rents if they qualify for certain safe harbor provisions contained in the Code. Dividends paid to us from a TRS, if any, will be treated as dividend income received from a corporation. The foregoing treatment of TRSs may reduce the cash flow generated by us and our subsidiaries in the aggregate and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and may affect our compliance with the gross income tests and asset tests.
A TRS generally may be used by a REIT to undertake indirectly activities that the REIT requirements might otherwise preclude the REIT from doing directly, such as the provision of noncustomary tenant services or the disposition of property held for sale to customers. See “— Gross Income Tests — Rents from Real Property” and “— Gross Income Tests — Prohibited Transactions.”
Gross Income Tests
We must satisfy two gross income tests annually to qualify and maintain our qualification as a REIT. First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year generally must consist of the following:
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rents from real property;
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interest on debt secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property and interest on debt secured by mortgages on both real and personal property if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property;
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dividends or other distributions on, and gain from the sale of, stock or shares of beneficial interest in other REITs;
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gain from the sale of real estate assets other than gain from the sale of a nonqualified publicly offered REIT debt instrument as defined under Section 856(c)(5)(L)(ii) of the Code;
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income and gain derived from foreclosure property; and
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income derived from the temporary investment of new capital attributable to the issuance of our stock or a public offering of our debt with a maturity date of at least five years and that we receive during the one-year period beginning on the date on which we receive such new capital.
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The term “real estate assets” also includes debt instruments of “publicly offered REITs,” personal property securing a mortgage secured by both real property and personal property if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property, and personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property for which the rent attributable to personal property is not greater than 15% of the total rent received under the lease.
Second, in general, at least 95% of our gross income for each taxable year must consist of income that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, other types of interest and dividends, gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities, or any combination of these.
Cancellation of indebtedness income and gross income from a sale of property that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. In addition, gains from “hedging transactions,” as defined in “— Hedging Transactions,” that are clearly and timely identified as such will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. Finally, certain foreign currency gains will be excluded from gross income for purposes of one or both of the gross income tests.
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The following paragraphs discuss the specific application of certain relevant aspects of the gross income tests to us.
Rents from Real Property. Rent that we receive for the use of our real property will qualify as “rents from real property,” which is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests, only if the following conditions are met:
First, the rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. However, rent will qualify as “rents from real property” if it is based on percentages of receipts or sales and the percentages generally:
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are fixed at the time the leases are entered into;
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are not renegotiated during the term of the leases in a manner that has the effect of basing percentage rent on income or profits; and
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conform with normal business practice.
We intend to set and accept rents in compliance with the rules above and not to any extent determined by reference to any person’s income or profits.
Second, we generally must not own, actually or constructively, 10% or more of the stock or the assets or net profits of any tenant, referred to as a “related-party tenant.” The constructive ownership rules generally provide that, if 10% or more in value of our stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by or for any person, we are considered as owning the stock owned, directly or indirectly, by or for such person. Because the constructive ownership rules are broad and it is not possible to monitor direct and indirect transfers of our stock continually, no assurance can be given that such transfers or other events of which we have no knowledge will not cause us to own constructively 10% or more of a tenant (or a subtenant, in which case only rent attributable to the subtenant is disqualified).
Under an exception to the related-party tenant rule, rent that we receive from a TRS lessee will qualify as “rents from real property” as long as (1) at least 90% of the leased space in the property is leased to persons other than TRS lessees and related-party tenants, and (2) the amount paid by the TRS lessee to rent space at the property is substantially comparable to rents paid by other tenants of the property for comparable space.
Third, we must not furnish or render noncustomary services, other than a de minimis amount of noncustomary services, to the tenants of our properties other than through (i) an independent contractor from whom we do not derive or receive any income or (ii) a TRS. However, we generally may provide services directly to our tenants to the extent that such services are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and are not considered to be provided primarily for the tenants’ convenience. In addition, we may provide a minimal amount of noncustomary services to the tenants of a property, other than through an independent contractor from whom we do not derive or receive any income or a TRS, as long as the income attributable to the services (valued at not less than 150% of the direct cost of performing such services) does not exceed 1% of our gross income from the related property. If the rent from a lease does not qualify as “rents from real property” because we furnish noncustomary services having a value in excess of 1% of our gross income from the related property to the tenants of the property, other than through a qualifying independent contractor or a TRS, none of the rent from the property will qualify as “rents from real property.” We have not performed, and do not intend to provide, any noncustomary services to our tenants unless such services are provided through independent contractors from whom we do not derive or receive any income or TRSs.
Fourth, rent attributable to any personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property will not qualify as “rents from real property” if the rent attributable to such personal property exceeds 15% of the total rent received under the lease. If a portion of the rent that we receive from a property does not qualify as “rents from real property” because the rent attributable to personal property exceeds 15% of the total rent for a taxable year, the portion of the rent attributable to personal property will not be qualifying income for purposes of either the 75% or 95% gross income test. We do not and do not intend to lease significant amounts of personal property pursuant to our leases. Fifth, the leases must be respected as true leases for U.S. federal income tax purposes and not treated as service contracts, joint ventures or some other
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type of arrangement. The determination of whether our leases are true leases depends on an analysis of all the surrounding facts and circumstances. We intend to enter into leases that will be treated as true leases.
We have leased, and intend to continue to lease, substantially all of our properties under leases with terms ranging from one to five years. In addition, the terms of the leases with our tenants generally provide that we are responsible for major maintenance, insurance and taxes (which are generally reimbursed to us by our tenants), while our tenants are responsible for minor maintenance, water usage and all of the additional input costs related to the farming operations on the property, such as seed, fertilizer, labor and fuel. Our leases generally require the tenant to pay fixed rent in advance. However, some of our leases may provide for rents based on a fixed percentage of gross revenue. We intend to structure any such leases in a manner intended to qualify the rent thereunder as “rents from real property.” Moreover, we do not intend to perform any services other than customary ones for our tenants unless such services are provided through independent contractors or a TRS.
We believe rents received under our leases generally qualify as “rents from real property” and any income attributable to noncustomary services or personal property will not jeopardize our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT. However, there can be no assurance that the IRS would not challenge our conclusions, or that a court would agree with our conclusions. If such a challenge were successful, we could fail to satisfy the 75% or 95% gross income test and thus potentially lose our REIT status.
Interest. Interest income constitutes qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test to the extent that the obligation upon which such interest is paid is secured by a mortgage on real property or on an interest in real property. For purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests, the term “interest” generally does not include any amount received or accrued, directly or indirectly, if the determination of such amount depends in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. However, an amount received or accrued generally will not be excluded from the term “interest” solely because it is based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales. Furthermore, to the extent that interest from a loan that is based on the profit or net cash proceeds from the sale of the property securing the loan constitutes a “shared appreciation provision,” income attributable to such participation feature will be treated as gain from the sale of the secured property.
We may provide senior secured first lien mortgage loans for the purchase of farmland and properties related to farming. Interest on debt secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property, including, for this purpose, prepayment penalties, loan assumption fees and late payment charges that are not compensation for services, generally is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. In general, under applicable Treasury Regulations, if a loan is secured by real property and other property and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property securing the loan determined as of the date we agreed to acquire or originate the loan then a portion of the interest income from such loan will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, but will be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test. In the case of real estate mortgage loans secured by both real and personal property, if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all property securing the loan, then the personal property securing the loan will be treated as real property for purposes of determining whether the mortgage is qualifying under the 75% asset test and interest income that qualifies for purposes of the 75% gross income test. We anticipate that the interest on our mortgage loans generally would be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test.
Dividends. Our share of any dividends received from any corporation or entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes (including any TRS, but excluding any REIT or QRS) in which we own an equity interest will qualify for purposes of the 95% gross income test but not for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Our share of any dividends received from any other REIT in which we own an equity interest will be qualifying income for purposes of both gross income tests. Any dividends received by us from a QRS will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests.
Prohibited Transactions. A REIT will incur a 100% tax on the net income derived from any sale or other disposition of property, other than foreclosure property, that the REIT holds primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. Net income derived from such prohibited transactions is excluded from gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. Whether a REIT holds
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an asset “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business” depends on the facts and circumstances that exist from time to time, including those related to a particular asset. A safe harbor to the characterization of the sale of property by a REIT as a prohibited transaction is available if the following requirements are met:
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the REIT has held the property for not less than two years;
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the aggregate capital expenditures made by the REIT, or any partner of the REIT, during the two-year period preceding the date of the sale do not exceed 30% of the selling price of the property;
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either (1) during the year in question, the REIT did not make more than seven property sales other than sales of foreclosure property or sales to which Section 1033 of the Code applies, (2) the aggregate adjusted bases of all such properties sold by the REIT during the year did not exceed 10% of the aggregate bases of all of the assets of the REIT at the beginning of the year, (3) the aggregate fair market value of all such properties sold by the REIT during the year did not exceed 10% of the aggregate fair market value of all of the assets of the REIT at the beginning of the year, or (4) the REIT satisfies the requirements of clause (2) applied by substituting “20%” for “10%” and the 3-year average adjusted bases percentage for the taxable year does not exceed 10% or (5) the REIT satisfies the requirements of clause (3) applied by substituting “20%” for “10%” and the 3-year average fair market value percentage for the taxable year does not exceed 10%;
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in the case of property not acquired through foreclosure or lease termination, the REIT has held the property for at least two years for the production of rental income; and
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if the REIT has made more than seven property sales (excluding sales of foreclosure property) during the taxable year, substantially all of the marketing and development expenditures with respect to the property were made through an independent contractor from whom the REIT derives no income or a TRS.
We will attempt to comply with the terms of the foregoing safe-harbor. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with the safe-harbor provisions or that we will avoid owning property that may be characterized as property held “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business.” We may hold and dispose of certain properties through a TRS if we conclude that the sale or other disposition of such property may not fall within the safe-harbor provisions. The 100% prohibited transactions tax will not apply to gains from the sale of property by a TRS, although such income will be taxed to the TRS at U.S. federal corporate income tax rates.
Foreclosure Property. We generally will be subject to tax at the maximum corporate rate on any net income from foreclosure property, other than income that otherwise would be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Gross income from foreclosure property will qualify under the 75% and 95% gross income tests.
Hedging Transactions. From time to time, we or our subsidiaries may enter into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our or our subsidiaries’ assets or liabilities. Our or our subsidiaries’ hedging activities may include entering into interest rate swaps, caps, and floors, options to purchase such items, and futures and forward contracts. Income and gain from “hedging transactions” will be excluded from gross income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests. A “hedging transaction” means either (1) any transaction entered into in the normal course of our or our subsidiaries’ trade or business primarily to manage the risk of interest rate, price changes, or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, or (2) any transaction entered into primarily to manage the risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% gross income test (or any property which generates such income or gain) and new transactions entered into to hedge the income or loss from prior hedging transactions, where the property or indebtedness which was the subject of the prior hedging transaction was extinguished or disposed of. We are required to clearly identify any such hedging transaction before the close of the day on which it was acquired, originated, or entered into and to satisfy other identification requirements. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT; however, no assurance can be given that our hedging activities will give rise to income that is excluded from gross income for purposes of the gross income tests.
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Failure to Satisfy Gross Income Tests. We intend to monitor our sources of income, including any non-qualifying income received by us, and manage our assets so as to ensure our compliance with the gross income tests. If we fail to satisfy one or both of the gross income tests for any taxable year, we nevertheless may qualify as a REIT for that year if we qualify for relief under certain provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws. Those relief provisions are available if:
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our failure to meet the applicable test is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect; and
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following such failure for any taxable year, we file a schedule of the sources of our income with the IRS in accordance with the Treasury Regulations.
We cannot predict, however, whether any failure to meet these tests will qualify for the relief provisions. In addition, as discussed above in “— Taxation of Our Company,” even if the relief provisions apply, we would incur a 100% tax on the gross income attributable to the greater of (1) the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test, or (2) the amount by which we fail the 95% gross income test, multiplied, in either case, by a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.
Asset Tests
To qualify as a REIT, we also must satisfy the following asset tests at the end of each quarter of each taxable year.
First, under the “75% asset test,” at least 75% of the value of our total assets generally must consist of:
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cash or cash items, including certain receivables and shares in certain money market funds;
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government securities;
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interests in real property, including leaseholds and options to acquire real property and leaseholds;
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interests in mortgage loans secured by real property;
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interests in personal property securing a mortgage secured by both real property and personal property if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property;
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stock or shares of beneficial interest in other REITs;
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investments in stock or debt instruments during the one-year period following our receipt of new capital that we raise through equity offerings or public offerings of debt with at least a five-year term;
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personal property leased in connection with real property for which the rent attributable to personal property is not greater than 15% of the total rent received under the lease; and
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debt instruments issued by “publicly offered REITs”
Second, under the “5% asset test,” of our assets that are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test described above, the value of our interest in any one issuer’s securities may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets.
Third, of our assets that are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test described above, we may not own more than 10% of the voting power of any one issuer’s outstanding securities, or the “10% vote test,” or more than 10% of the value of any one issuer’s outstanding securities, or the “10% value test.”
Fourth, no more than 20% of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of one or more TRSs.
Fifth, no more than 25% of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of TRSs and other assets that are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test.
Sixth, not more than 25% of the value of our total assets may be represented by debt instruments of “publicly offered REITs” to the extent those debt instruments would not be real estate assets but for the inclusion of debt instruments of “publicly offered REITs” in the meaning of real estate assets, as described above.
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For purposes of the 5% asset test, the 10% vote test and the 10% value test, the term “securities” does not include securities that qualify under the 75% asset test, securities of a TRS and equity interests in an entity taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For purposes of the 10% value test, the term “securities” also does not include: certain “straight debt” securities; any loan to an individual or an estate; most rental agreements and obligations to pay rent; any debt instrument issued by an entity taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes in which we are an owner to the extent of our proportionate interest in the debt and equity securities of the entity; and any debt instrument issued by an entity taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes if at least 75% of the entity’s gross income, excluding income from prohibited transactions, is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test described above in “— Gross Income Tests.”
As noted above, we may provide senior secured first lien mortgage loans for the purchase of farmland and properties related to farming. Although the law is not entirely clear, if a loan is secured by real property and other property and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property securing the loan as of the date we agreed to acquire or originate the loan, a portion of the loan likely will be a non-qualifying asset for purposes of the 75% asset test. If the loan is secured by both real property and personal property and the fair market value of the personal property does not exceed 15% of the aggregate value of the property securing the loan, the personal property securing the loan will be treated as real property for this purpose. Unless the loan falls within one of the exceptions referenced in the previous paragraph, the non-qualifying portion of such a loan may be subject to, among other requirements, the 10% value test. IRS Revenue Procedure 2014-51 provides a safe harbor under which the IRS has stated that it will not challenge a REIT’s treatment of a loan as being, in part, a qualifying real estate asset if the REIT treats the loan as being a qualifying real estate asset in an amount equal to the lesser of: (1) the fair market value of the loan on the relevant quarterly REIT asset testing date, or (2) the greater of (a) the fair market value of the real property securing the loan determined as of the relevant quarterly REIT asset testing date, or (b) the fair market value of the real property securing the loan determined as of the date the REIT committed to acquire the loan. Under the safe harbor, when the current value of a mortgage loan exceeds the fair market value of the real property that secures the loan, determined as of the date we committed to acquire or originate the loan, the excess will be treated as a non-qualifying asset. The degree to which the personal property rule described above applies to such safe harbor is unclear. We anticipate that our senior secured first lien mortgage loans generally would be treated as qualifying assets for the 75% asset test.
We believe that the assets that we hold satisfy the foregoing asset test requirements. We will not obtain, nor are we required to obtain under the U.S. federal income tax laws, independent appraisals to support our conclusions as to the value of our assets and securities. Moreover, the values of some assets may not be susceptible to a precise determination. As a result, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not contend that our ownership of securities and other assets violates one or more of the asset tests applicable to REITs.
Failure to Satisfy Asset Tests. We will monitor the status of our assets for purposes of the various asset tests and will manage our portfolio in order to comply at all times with such tests. Nevertheless, if we fail to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a calendar quarter, we will not lose our REIT status if:
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we satisfied the asset tests at the end of the preceding calendar quarter; and
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the discrepancy between the value of our assets and the asset test requirements arose from changes in the market values of our assets and was not caused, in part or in whole, by the acquisition of one or more non-qualifying assets.
If we did not satisfy the condition described in the second bullet point immediately above, we still could avoid REIT disqualification by eliminating any discrepancy within 30 days after the close of the calendar quarter in which the discrepancy arose.
In the event that we violate the 5% asset test, the 10% vote test or the 10% value test described above, we will not lose our REIT status if (1) the failure is de minimis (up to the lesser of 1% of our assets or $10 million) and (2) we dispose of assets causing the failure or otherwise comply with the asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identify such failure. In the event of a failure of any of such asset tests other than a de minimis failure, as described in the preceding sentence, we will not lose our REIT status if (1) the failure was due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, (2) we file a description
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of each asset causing the failure with the IRS, (3) we dispose of assets causing the failure or otherwise comply with the asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identify the failure, and (4) we pay a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate multiplied by the net income from the nonqualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset tests.
Annual Distribution Requirements
Each taxable year, we must make distributions, other than capital gain dividend distributions and deemed distributions of retained capital gain, to our stockholders in an aggregate amount at least equal to:
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the sum of:
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90% of our “REIT taxable income,” computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gain, and
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90% of our after-tax net income, if any, from foreclosure property, minus
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the sum of certain items of noncash income.
Generally, we must pay such distributions in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if either (1) we declare the distribution before we timely file our U.S. federal income tax return for the year and pay the distribution on or before the first regular dividend payment date after such declaration or (2) we declare the distribution in October, November, or December of the taxable year, payable to stockholders of record on a specified day in any such month, and we actually pay the dividend before the end of January of the following year. In both instances, these distributions relate to our prior taxable year for purposes of the annual distribution requirement to the extent of our earnings and profits for such prior taxable year.
We will pay U.S. federal income tax on any taxable income, including net capital gain, that we do not distribute to our stockholders. Furthermore, if we fail to distribute during a calendar year, or by the end of January of the following calendar year in the case of distributions with declaration and record dates falling in the last three months of the calendar year, at least the sum of:
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85% of our REIT ordinary income for the year,
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95% of our REIT capital gain net income for the year, and
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any undistributed taxable income from prior years,
we will incur a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the amounts we actually distributed.
We may elect to retain and pay U.S. federal income tax on the net long-term capital gain that we receive in a taxable year. If we so elect, we will be treated as having distributed any such retained amount for purposes of the 4% nondeductible excise tax described above. We intend to make timely distributions sufficient to satisfy the annual distribution requirement and to minimize U.S. federal corporate income tax and avoid the 4% nondeductible excise tax.
It is possible that, from time to time, we may experience timing differences between the actual receipt of income and actual payment of deductible expenses and the inclusion of that income and deduction of such expenses in arriving at our REIT taxable income. Further, it is possible that, from time to time, we may be allocated a share of net capital gain from an entity taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes in which we own an interest that is attributable to the sale of depreciated property that exceeds our allocable share of cash attributable to that sale. As a result of the foregoing, we may have less cash than is necessary to make distributions to our stockholders that are sufficient to avoid U.S. federal corporate income tax and the 4% nondeductible excise tax imposed on certain undistributed income or even to meet the annual distribution requirement. In such a situation, we may need to borrow funds or issue additional stock or, if possible, pay dividends consisting, in whole or in part, of our stock or debt securities.
In order for distributions to be counted as satisfying the annual distribution requirement applicable to REITs and to provide us with a REIT-level tax deduction, the distributions must not be “preferential
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dividends,” unless we qualify as a “publicly offered REIT.” A distribution is not a preferential dividend if the distribution is (1) pro rata among all outstanding shares within a particular class, and (2) in accordance with the preferences among different classes of stock as set forth in our organizational documents. We believe that we are, and expect we will continue to be, a “publicly offered REIT.”
Under certain circumstances, we may be able to correct a failure to meet the distribution requirement for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to our stockholders in a later year. We may include such deficiency dividends in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. Although we may be able to avoid income tax on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends, we will be required to pay interest to the IRS based on the amount of any deduction we take for deficiency dividends.
Recordkeeping Requirements
We must maintain certain records in order to maintain our qualification as a REIT. To avoid paying monetary penalties, we must demand, on an annual basis, information from certain of our stockholders designed to disclose the actual ownership of our outstanding stock, and we must maintain a list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with such demand as part of our records. A stockholder that fails or refuses to comply with such demand is required by the Treasury Regulations to submit a statement with its tax return disclosing the actual ownership of our stock and other information. We intend to comply with these recordkeeping requirements.
Failure to Qualify as a REIT
If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification, other than the gross income tests and the asset tests, we could avoid disqualification if our failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect and we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure. In addition, there are relief provisions available under the Code for a failure of the gross income tests and asset tests, as described in “— Gross Income Tests” and “— Asset Tests.”
If we were to fail to maintain our qualification as a REIT in any taxable year, and no relief provision applied, we would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income at U.S. federal corporate income tax rates. In calculating our taxable income for a year in which we failed to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we would not be able to deduct amounts distributed to our stockholders, and we would not be required to distribute any amounts to our stockholders for that year. Unless we qualified for relief under the statutory relief provisions described in the preceding paragraph, we also would be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we ceased to maintain our qualification as a REIT. We cannot predict whether in all circumstances we would qualify for such statutory relief.
Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders
For purposes of our discussion, the term “U.S. stockholder” means a beneficial owner of our stock that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is:
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an individual citizen or resident of the United States;
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a corporation (including an entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized under the laws of the United States, any of its states or the District of Columbia;
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an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
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any trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S. person.
If an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes (a “partnership”) holds our stock, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an owner of the partnership generally will depend on the status of the owner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships and their owners should consult their tax advisors regarding the consequences of the ownership and disposition of our stock by the partnership.
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Distributions. If we qualify as a REIT, distributions made out of our current and accumulated earnings and profits that we do not designate as capital gain dividends will be ordinary dividend income to taxable U.S. stockholders. A corporate U.S. stockholder will not qualify for the dividends-received deduction generally available to corporations. Furthermore, our ordinary dividends also generally will not qualify for the preferential long-term capital gain tax rate applicable to “qualified dividends” unless certain holding period requirements are met and such dividends are attributable to (i) qualified dividends received by us from non-REIT corporations, such as any TRSs, or (ii) income recognized by us and on which we have paid U.S. federal corporate income tax. We do not expect a meaningful portion of our ordinary dividends to be eligible for taxation as qualified dividends. However, for taxable years prior to 2026, generally individual stockholders are allowed to deduct 20% of the aggregate amount of ordinary dividends distributed by us, subject to certain limitations based on taxable income, as a qualified business income deduction, which will reduce the effective tax rate on such dividends.
Any distribution we declare in October, November, or December of any year that is payable to a U.S. stockholder of record on a specified date in any of those months and is attributable to our current and accumulated earnings and profits for such year will be treated as paid by us and received by the U.S. stockholder on December 31 of that year, provided that we actually pay the distribution during January of the following calendar year.
Distributions to a U.S. stockholder which we designate as capital gain dividends generally will be treated as long-term capital gain, without regard to the period for which the U.S. stockholder has held our stock to the extent that such gain does not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year.
Dividends designated as capital gain dividends may not exceed our dividends paid for the taxable year, including dividends paid the following year that are treated as paid in the current year. A corporate U.S. stockholder may be required to treat up to 20% of certain capital gain dividends as ordinary income.
We may elect to retain and pay U.S. federal corporate income tax on the net long-term capital gain that we receive in a taxable year. In that case, to the extent that we designate such amount in a timely notice to our stockholders, a U.S. stockholder would be taxed on its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain. The U.S. stockholder would receive a credit or refund for its proportionate share of the U.S. federal corporate income tax we paid. The U.S. stockholder would increase its basis in our stock by the amount of its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain, minus its share of the U.S. federal corporate income tax we paid.
A U.S. stockholder will not incur U.S. federal income tax on a distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits if the distribution does not exceed the U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in our stock. Instead, the distribution will reduce the U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in our stock. The excess of any distribution to a U.S. stockholder over both its share of our current and accumulated earnings and profits and its adjusted basis will be treated as capital gain and long-term capital gain if the stock has been held for more than one year.
U.S. stockholders may not include in their individual U.S. federal income tax returns any of our net operating losses or capital losses. Instead, these losses are generally carried over by us for potential offset against our future income. We will notify U.S. stockholders after the close of our taxable year as to the portions of the distributions attributable to that taxable year that constitute ordinary income, return of capital and capital gain.
Dispositions. In general, a U.S. stockholder will recognize gain or loss on the sale or other taxable disposition of our stock in an amount equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the fair market value of any property and the amount of cash received in such disposition and (ii) the U.S. stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in such stock. A U.S. stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in our stock generally will equal the U.S. stockholder’s acquisition cost, increased by the excess of undistributed net capital gains deemed distributed to the U.S. stockholder over the federal corporate income tax deemed paid by the U.S. stockholder on such gains and reduced by any returns of capital. Such gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. stockholder has held such stock for more than one year and short-term capital gain or loss otherwise. However, a U.S. stockholder must treat any loss on a sale or exchange of our stock held by such stockholder for six months or less as a long-term capital loss to the extent of capital gain dividends and any
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other actual or deemed distributions from us that such U.S. stockholder treats as long-term capital gain. All or a portion of any loss that a U.S. stockholder realizes on a taxable disposition of shares of our stock may be disallowed if the U.S. stockholder purchases other shares of our stock within 30 days before or after the disposition. Capital losses generally are available only to offset capital gains of the stockholder except in the case of individuals, who may offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income each year.
Other Considerations. U.S. stockholders may not include in their individual U.S. federal income tax returns any of our net operating losses or capital losses. Taxable distributions from us and gain from the disposition of our stock will not be treated as passive activity income and, therefore, U.S. stockholders generally will not be able to apply any “passive activity losses” against such income. In addition, taxable distributions from us and gain from the disposition of our stock generally will be treated as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitations.
Tax Rates. The maximum U.S. federal income tax rate on ordinary income and short-term capital gains applicable to U.S. stockholders that are taxed at individual rates currently is 37%, and the maximum U.S. federal income tax rate on long-term capital gains applicable to U.S. stockholders that are taxed at individual rates currently is 20%. However, the maximum tax rate on long-term capital gain from the sale or exchange of “section 1250 property” (i.e., generally, depreciable real property) is 25% to the extent the gain would have been treated as ordinary income if the property were “section 1245 property” (i.e., generally, depreciable personal property). We generally will designate whether a distribution that we designate as a capital gain dividend (and any retained capital gain that we are deemed to distribute) is attributable to the sale or exchange of “section 1250 property.”
Additional Medicare Tax. Certain U.S. stockholders, including individuals, estates and trusts, will be subject to an additional 3.8% tax, which, for individuals, applies to the lesser of (i) “net investment income” or (ii) the excess of “modified adjusted gross income” over $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly or $125,000 if married and filing separately). “Net investment income” generally equals the taxpayer’s gross investment income reduced by the deductions that are allocable to such income. Investment income generally includes passive income such as interest, dividends, annuities, royalties, rents and capital gains.
Taxation of Tax-Exempt Stockholders
Tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit sharing trusts, or “qualified trusts,” and individual retirement accounts and annuities, generally are exempt from U.S. federal income taxation. However, they are subject to taxation on their “unrelated business taxable income,” or UBTI. Amounts that we distribute to tax-exempt stockholders generally should not constitute UBTI. However, if a tax-exempt stockholder were to finance its acquisition of our stock with debt, a portion of any distribution that it received from us would constitute UBTI pursuant to the “debt-financed property” rules. Furthermore, social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts, and qualified group legal services plans that are exempt from taxation under special provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally will require them to characterize distributions that they receive from us as UBTI.
Finally, in certain circumstances, a qualified trust that owns more than 10% of the value of our stock must treat a percentage of the dividends that it receives from us as UBTI. Such percentage is equal to the gross income that we derive from unrelated trades or businesses, determined as if we were a qualified trust, divided by our total gross income for the year in which we pay the dividends. Such rule applies to a qualified trust holding more than 10% of the value of our stock only if:
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we are classified as a “pension-held REIT”; and
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the amount of gross income that we derive from unrelated trades or businesses for the year in which we pay the dividends, determined as if we were a qualified trust, is at least 5% of our total gross income for such year.
We will be classified as a “pension-held REIT” if:
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we qualify as a REIT by reason of the modification of the rule requiring that no more than 50% of our stock be owned by five or fewer individuals that allows the beneficiaries of the qualified trust to be treated as holding our stock in proportion to their actuarial interests in the qualified trust; and
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either:
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one qualified trust owns more than 25% of the value of our stock; or
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a group of qualified trusts, of which each qualified trust holds more than 10% of the value of our stock, collectively owns more than 50% of the value of our stock.
As a result of limitations included in our charter on the transfer and ownership of our stock, we do not expect to be classified as a “pension-held REIT,” and, therefore, the tax treatment described in this paragraph should be inapplicable to our stockholders. However, because shares of our stock are publicly traded, we cannot guarantee that this will always be the case.
Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders
For purposes of our discussion, the term “non-U.S. stockholder” means a beneficial owner of our stock that is not a U.S. stockholder, an entity or arrangement taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes or a tax-exempt stockholder. The rules governing U.S. federal income taxation of non-U.S. stockholders, including nonresident alien individuals, foreign corporations, foreign partnerships and other foreign stockholders, are complex. This section is only a summary of certain of those rules.
We urge non-U.S. stockholders to consult their own tax advisors to determine the impact of U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income tax laws on the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our stock, including any reporting requirements.
Distributions. Distributions to a non-U.S. stockholder (i) out of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, (ii) not attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of a “United States real property interest,” or a USRPI, and (iii) not designated by us as a capital gain dividend will be subject to a withholding tax at a rate of 30% unless:
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a lower treaty rate applies and the non-U.S. stockholder submits an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable (or any applicable successor form), to us evidencing eligibility for that reduced rate; or
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the non-U.S. stockholder submits an IRS Form W-8ECI (or any applicable successor form) to us claiming that the distribution is income effectively connected to a U.S. trade or business of such stockholder.
A non-U.S. stockholder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates on any distribution treated as effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business in the same manner as a U.S. stockholder. In addition, a corporate non-U.S. stockholder may be subject to a 30% branch profits tax with respect to any such distribution.
A non-U.S. stockholder will not incur tax on a distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits if such excess does not exceed such non-U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in our stock. Instead, the excess portion of such distribution will reduce the non-U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in our stock. The excess of a distribution over both our current and accumulated earnings and profits and the non-U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in our stock will be taxed, if at all, as gain from the sale or disposition of our stock. See “— Dispositions” below. Under FIRPTA (discussed below), we may be required to withhold 15% of the portion of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
Because we generally cannot determine at the time we make a distribution whether the distribution will exceed our current and accumulated earnings and profits, we may withhold tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be provided under an applicable tax treaty) on the entire amount of any distribution. To the extent that we do not do so, we nevertheless may withhold at a rate of 15% on any portion of a distribution not subject to withholding at a rate of 30%. A non-U.S. stockholder may obtain a refund of amounts that we withhold if we later determine that a distribution in fact exceeded our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
Under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, or FIRPTA, distributions attributable to capital gains from the sale or exchange by us of USRPIs are treated like income effectively connected with
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the conduct of a U.S. trade or business, generally are subject to U.S. federal income taxation in the same manner and at the same rates applicable to U.S. stockholders and, with respect to corporate non-U.S. stockholders, may be subject to a 30% branch profits tax. However, these distributions will not be subject to tax under FIRPTA, and will instead be taxed in the same manner as distributions described above, if:
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the distribution is made with respect to a class of shares regularly traded on an established securities market in the United States; and
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the non-U.S. stockholder does not own more than 10% of such class at any time during the year within which the distribution is received.
If a class of our stock is not regularly traded on an established securities market in the United States or if a non-U.S. stockholder owned more than 10% of a class of our stock any time during the one-year period preceding the distribution, capital gain distributions to such non-U.S. stockholder attributable to our sales of USRPIs would be subject to tax under FIRPTA. Unless you are a qualified shareholder or a qualified foreign pension fund (both as defined below), we are required to withhold 21% of any distribution to a non-U.S. stockholder owning more than 10% of the relevant class of shares that could be designated by us as a capital gain dividend. Any amount so withheld is creditable against the non-U.S. stockholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.
In addition, distributions to certain non-U.S. publicly traded shareholders that meet certain record-keeping and other requirements (“qualified shareholders”) are exempt from FIRPTA, except to the extent owners of such qualified shareholders that are not also qualified shareholders own, actually or constructively, more than 10% of our capital stock. Furthermore, distributions to “qualified foreign pension funds” or entities all of the interests of which are held by “qualified foreign pension funds” within the meaning of Section 897(l) are exempt from FIRPTA. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.
Although not free from doubt, amounts we designate as retained capital gains in respect of stock held by U.S. stockholders generally should be treated with respect to non-U.S. stockholders in the same manner as actual distributions by us of capital gain dividends. Under this approach, a non-U.S. stockholder would be able to offset as a credit against its U.S. federal income tax liability resulting from its proportionate share of the tax paid by us on such retained capital gains, and to receive from the IRS a refund to the extent the non-U.S. stockholder’s proportionate share of such tax paid by us exceeds its actual U.S. federal income tax liability, provided that the non-U.S. stockholder furnishes required information to the IRS on a timely basis.
Dispositions. Non-U.S. stockholders may incur tax under FIRPTA with respect to gain recognized on a disposition of our stock unless one of the applicable exceptions described below applies. Any gain subject to tax under FIRPTA generally will be taxed in the same manner as it would be in the hands of U.S. stockholders. In addition, the purchaser of such stock could be required to withhold 15% of the purchase price for such stock and remit such amount to the IRS.
Non-U.S. stockholders generally will not incur tax under FIRPTA with respect to gain on a sale of our stock as long as, at all times during a specified testing period, we are “domestically controlled,” i.e., non-U.S. persons hold, directly or indirectly, less than 50% in value of our outstanding stock. We cannot assure you that we will be domestically controlled. For purposes of determining whether a REIT is a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity,” a person who at all applicable times holds less than 5% of a class of stock that is “regularly traded” is treated as a U.S. person unless the REIT has actual knowledge that such person is not a U.S. person. In addition, even if we are not domestically controlled, if a class of our stock is “regularly traded” on an established securities market, a non-U.S. stockholder that owned, actually or constructively, 10% or less of such class of stock at all times during a specified testing period will not incur tax under FIRPTA on gain from a sale of such stock. Accordingly, provided a class of our stock is “regularly traded” on an established securities market, a non-U.S. stockholder that has not owned more than 10% of such stock at any time during the five-year period prior to such sale will not incur tax under FIRPTA on gain from a sale of such stock.
In addition, dispositions of our capital stock by qualified shareholders are exempt from FIRPTA, except to the extent owners of such qualified shareholders that are also not qualified shareholders own,
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actually or constructively, more than 10% of our capital stock. Furthermore, dispositions of our capital stock by “qualified foreign pension funds” or entities all of the interests of which are held by “qualified foreign pension funds” are exempt from FIRPTA. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.
A non-U.S. stockholder generally will incur tax on gain from a disposition of our stock not subject to FIRPTA if:
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the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of the non-U.S. stockholder’s U.S. trade or business, in which case the non-U.S. stockholder generally will be subject to the same treatment as U.S. stockholders with respect to such gain, except that a non-U.S. stockholder that is a corporation also may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax; or
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the non-U.S. stockholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are satisfied, in which case the non-U.S. stockholder generally will incur a 30% tax on its capital gains.
Information Reporting Requirements and Backup Withholding
We will report to our stockholders and to the IRS the amount of distributions that we pay during each calendar year, and the amount of tax that we withhold, if any. Under the backup withholding rules, a stockholder may be subject to backup withholding (at a rate of 24%) with respect to distributions unless the stockholder:
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is a corporation or qualifies for certain other exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact; or
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provides a taxpayer identification number, certifies as to no loss of exemption from backup withholding, and otherwise complies with the applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules.
A stockholder who does not provide us with its correct taxpayer identification number also may be subject to penalties imposed by the IRS. Any amount paid as backup withholding will be creditable against the stockholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of capital gain distributions to any stockholders who fail to certify their non-foreign status to us.
Backup withholding generally will not apply to payments of dividends made by us or our paying agents, in their capacities as such, to a non-U.S. stockholder provided that such non-U.S. stockholder furnishes to us or our paying agent the required certification as to its non-U.S. status, such as providing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable, or W-8ECI (or any applicable successor form), or certain other requirements are met. Notwithstanding the foregoing, backup withholding may apply if either we or our paying agent has actual knowledge, or reason to know, that the holder is a “U.S. person” that is not an exempt recipient. Payments of the proceeds from a disposition or a redemption of our stock that occurs outside the U.S. by a non-U.S. stockholder made by or through a foreign office of a broker generally will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding. However, information reporting (but not backup withholding) generally will apply to such a payment if the broker has certain connections with the U.S. unless the broker has documentary evidence in its records that demonstrates that the beneficial owner is a non-U.S. stockholder and specified conditions are met or an exemption is otherwise established. Payment of the proceeds from a disposition of our stock by a non-U.S. stockholder made by or through the U.S. office of a broker generally is subject to information reporting and backup withholding unless the non-U.S. stockholder certifies under penalties of perjury that it is not a U.S. person and satisfies certain other requirements, or otherwise establishes an exemption from information reporting and backup withholding.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be refunded or credited against the stockholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability if certain required information is furnished to the IRS. Stockholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding application of backup withholding to them and the availability of, and procedure for obtaining an exemption from, backup withholding.
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FATCA
The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, imposes a U.S. federal withholding tax on certain types of payments made to “foreign financial institutions” and certain other non-U.S. entities unless certain due diligence, reporting, withholding, and certification obligation requirements are satisfied. FATCA generally imposes a U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% on dividends on, and gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of, our stock if paid to a foreign entity unless either (i) the foreign entity is a “foreign financial institution” that undertakes certain due diligence, reporting, withholding, and certification obligations, or in the case of a foreign financial institution that is a resident in a jurisdiction that is treated as having an intergovernmental agreement to implement FATCA, the entity complies with the diligence and reporting requirements of such agreement, (ii) the foreign entity is not a “foreign financial institution” and identifies certain of its U.S. investors, or (iii) the foreign entity otherwise is excepted under FATCA. If we determine withholding is appropriate in respect of our stock, we may withhold tax at the applicable statutory rate, and we will not pay any additional amounts in respect of such withholding. Recently proposed Treasury Regulations, which may be relied upon pending finalization, eliminate FATCA withholding on the gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our stock.
If withholding is required under FATCA on a payment related to our stock, holders of our stock that otherwise would not be subject to withholding (or that otherwise would be entitled to a reduced rate of withholding) generally will be required to seek a refund or credit from the IRS to obtain the benefit of such exemption or reduction (provided that such benefit is available). You should consult your own tax advisor regarding the effect of FATCA on an investment in our stock.
Tax Aspects of Our Investments in Our Operating Partnership and Other Subsidiary Partnerships
The following discussion summarizes the material U.S. federal income tax considerations that are applicable to our direct and indirect investments in our Operating Partnership and our other subsidiaries that are taxed as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, each individually referred to as a “Partnership” and, collectively, as the “Partnerships.” The following discussion does not address state or local tax laws or any U.S. federal tax laws other than income tax laws.
Classification as Partnerships
We are required to include in our income our distributive share of each Partnership’s income and allowed to deduct our distributive share of each Partnership’s losses but only if such Partnership is classified for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a partnership rather than as a corporation or an association treated as a corporation. An unincorporated entity with at least two owners, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, will be classified as a partnership, rather than as a corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes if it:
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is treated as a partnership under the Treasury Regulations relating to entity classification, or the “check-the-box regulations”; and
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is not a “publicly traded partnership.”
Under the check-the-box regulations, an unincorporated entity with at least two owners may elect to be classified either as an association treated as a corporation or as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If such an entity does not make an election, it generally will be taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Our Operating Partnership intends to be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and will not elect to be treated as an association treated as a corporation.
A publicly traded partnership is a partnership whose interests are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof. A publicly traded partnership generally is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, but will not be so treated if, for each taxable year in which it was classified as a publicly traded partnership, at least 90% of the partnership’s gross income consisted of specified passive income, including real property rents, gains from the sale or other disposition of real property, interest, and dividends, or the “90% passive income exception.” The Treasury Regulations provide limited safe harbors from treatment as a publicly traded partnership. Pursuant to one of those safe harbors, interests in a partnership will not be treated as readily
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tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof if (1) all interests in the partnership were issued in a transaction or transactions that were not required to be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and (2) the partnership does not have more than 100 partners at any time during the partnership’s taxable year. In determining the number of partners in a partnership, a person owning an interest in a partnership, grantor trust, or S corporation that owns an interest in the partnership is treated as a partner in such partnership only if (1) substantially all of the value of the owner’s interest in the entity is attributable to the entity’s direct or indirect interest in the partnership and (2) a principal purpose of the use of the entity is to permit the partnership to satisfy the 100-partner limitation. If any Partnership does not qualify for any safe harbor and is treated as a publicly traded partnership, we believe that such Partnership would have sufficient qualifying income to satisfy the 90% passive income exception and, therefore, would not be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
We have not requested, and do not intend to request, a ruling from the IRS that any Partnership is or will be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If, for any reason, a Partnership were treated as a corporation, rather than as a partnership, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may not be able to maintain our qualification as a REIT, unless we qualify for certain statutory relief provisions. See “—Gross Income Tests” and “— Asset Tests.” In addition, any change in a Partnership’s status for U.S. federal income tax purposes might be treated as a taxable event, in which case we might incur tax liability without any related cash distribution. See “— Annual Distribution Requirements.” Further, items of income and deduction of such Partnership would not pass through to us, and we would be treated as a stockholder for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Consequently, such Partnership would be required to pay income tax at U.S. federal corporate income tax rates on its net income, and distributions to us would constitute dividends that would not be deductible in computing such Partnership’s taxable income.
Income Taxation of the Partnerships and Their Partners
Partners, Not the Partnerships, Subject to Tax. A Partnership is not a taxable entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Rather, we are required to take into account our distributive share of each Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions, and credits for each taxable year of the Partnership ending with or within our taxable year, even if we receive no distribution from the Partnership for that year or a distribution that is less than our share of taxable income. Similarly, even if we receive a distribution, it may not be taxable if the distribution does not exceed our adjusted tax basis in our interest in the Partnership.
Partnership Allocations. Although an agreement among the owners of an entity taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes generally will determine the allocation of income and losses among the owners, such allocations will be disregarded for tax purposes if they do not comply with the provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws governing partnership allocations. If an allocation is not recognized for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the item subject to the allocation will be reallocated in accordance with the “partners’ interests in the partnership,” which will be determined by taking into account all of the facts and circumstances relating to the economic arrangement of the owners with respect to such item.
Tax Allocations With Respect to Contributed Properties. Income, gain, loss, and deduction attributable to appreciated or depreciated property contributed to an entity taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes in exchange for an interest in such entity must be allocated for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a manner such that the contributing owner is charged with, or benefits from, respectively, the unrealized gain or unrealized loss associated with the property at the time of the contribution (the “704(c) Allocations”). The amount of such unrealized gain or unrealized loss, referred to as “built-in gain” or “built-in loss,” at the time of contribution is generally equal to the difference between the fair market value of the contributed property at the time of contribution and the adjusted tax basis of such property at that time, referred to as a book-tax difference.
A book-tax difference attributable to depreciable property generally is decreased on an annual basis as a result of the allocation of depreciation deductions to the contributing owner for book purposes, but not for tax purposes. The Treasury Regulations require entities taxed as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes to use a “reasonable method” for allocating items with respect to which there is a book-tax difference and outline several reasonable allocation methods.
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Any gain or loss recognized by a partnership on the disposition of contributed properties generally will be allocated first to the partners of the partnership who contributed such properties to the extent of their built-in gain or loss on those properties for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as adjusted to take into account reductions in book-tax differences described in the previous paragraph. Any remaining gain or loss recognized by the partnership on the disposition of the contributed properties generally will be allocated among the partners in accordance with their partnership agreement unless such allocations and agreement do not satisfy the requirements of applicable Treasury Regulations, in which case such allocation will be made in accordance with the “partners’ interests in the partnership.”
We treated the transfer of the properties initially acquired by our Operating Partnership concurrently with our initial public offering as a contribution of such properties pursuant to which our Operating Partnership received a “carryover” tax basis in such properties. As a result, such properties had significant built-in gain or loss subject to Section 704(c). Our Operating Partnership adopted the “traditional” method for purposes of allocating items with respect to any book-tax difference attributable to such built-in gain or loss. Under the “traditional method,” as well as certain other reasonable methods available to us, built-in gain or loss with respect to our depreciable properties (i) could cause us to be allocated lower amounts of depreciation deductions for tax purposes than for economic purposes and (ii) in the event of a sale of such properties, could cause us to be allocated taxable gain in excess of the economic gain allocated to us as a result of such sale, with a corresponding tax benefit to the contributing partners. Immaterial amounts of such initial properties consist of depreciable properties for U.S. federal income tax purposes, although we can provide no assurances that properties acquired by us in the future will not be depreciable.
Basis in Partnership Interest. Our adjusted tax basis in any Partnership interest we own generally will be:
•
the amount of cash and the basis of any other property we contribute to the Partnership;
•
increased by our distributive share of the Partnership’s income (including tax-exempt income) and any increase in our allocable share of indebtedness of the Partnership; and
•
reduced, but not below zero, by our distributive share of the Partnership’s loss (including any non-deductible items), the amount of cash and the basis of property distributed to us, and any reduction in our allocable share of indebtedness of the Partnership.
Loss allocated to us in excess of our basis in a Partnership interest will not be taken into account for U.S. federal income tax purposes until we again have basis sufficient to absorb the loss. A reduction of our allocable share of Partnership indebtedness will be treated as a constructive cash distribution to us, and will reduce our adjusted tax basis in the Partnership interest. Distributions, including constructive distributions, in excess of the basis of our Partnership interest will constitute taxable income to us. Such distributions and constructive distributions normally will be characterized as long-term capital gain.
Sale of a Partnership’s Property. Generally, any gain realized by a Partnership on the sale of property held for more than one year will be long-term capital gain, except for any portion of the gain treated as depreciation or cost recovery recapture. Our share of any Partnership’s gain from the sale of inventory or other property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of the Partnership’s trade or business will be treated as income from a prohibited transaction subject to a 100% tax. See “— Gross Income Tests.”
Partnership Audit Rules. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 changed the rules applicable to U.S. federal income tax audits of partnerships. Under the new rules (which are generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017), among other changes and subject to certain exceptions, any audit adjustment to items of income, gain, loss, deduction, or credit of a partnership (and any partner’s distributive share thereof) is determined, and taxes, interest, or penalties attributable thereto are assessed and collected, at the partnership level. Although it is uncertain how these new rules will be implemented, it is possible that they could result in Partnerships in which we directly or indirectly invest being required to pay additional taxes, interest and penalties as a result of an audit adjustment, and we, as a direct or indirect partner of these Partnerships, could be required to bear the economic burden of those taxes, interest, and penalties even though we, as a REIT, may not otherwise have been required to pay additional corporate-level taxes as a result of the related audit adjustment. The changes created by these new rules are sweeping and in many
33
respects dependent on the promulgation of future regulations or other guidance by the Treasury Department. Investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these changes and their potential impact on their investment in our common stock.
Possible Legislative or Other Actions Affecting Tax Consequences
Prospective stockholders should recognize that the present U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in us may be modified by legislative, judicial or administrative action at any time and that any such action may affect investments and commitments previously made. The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process, the IRS and the Treasury Department, resulting in revisions of regulations and revised interpretations of established concepts as well as statutory changes. Revisions in U.S. federal tax laws and interpretations of these laws could adversely affect the tax consequences of your investment.
State and Local Taxes
We and/or you may be subject to taxation by various states and localities, including those in which we or a stockholder transacts business, owns property or resides. The state and local tax treatment may differ from the U.S. federal income tax treatment described above. Consequently, you should consult your own tax advisors regarding the effect of state and local tax laws on an investment in our common stock.
LEGAL MATTERS
The validity of the securities offered by means of this prospectus and certain U.S. federal income tax matters have been passed upon for us by Morrison & Foerster LLP.
EXPERTS
The consolidated financial statements of Farmland Partners Inc. appearing in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 have been audited by Plante & Moran, PLLC, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their reports thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
ITEM 14. OTHER EXPENSES OF ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION.
All amounts except the SEC registration fee are estimated. The following table sets forth the costs and expenses payable by us in connection with the sale and distribution of the securities being registered hereunder.
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SEC Registration Fee
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| | | $ | 1,519.22 | | |
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Accountant’s Fees and Expenses
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| | | | 15,000 | | |
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Legal Fees and Expenses
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| | | | 35,000 | | |
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Printing Expenses
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| | | | 10,000 | | |
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TOTAL
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| | | $ | 61,519.22 | | |
ITEM 15. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.
Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages except for liability resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty that is established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. Our charter contains a provision which eliminates our directors’ and officers’ liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
Maryland law requires a Maryland corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made or threatened to be made a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity. Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that: (a) the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (i) was committed in bad faith or (ii) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; (b) the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or (c) in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. However, under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification and then only for expenses. In addition, Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of (a) a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation and (b) a written undertaking by him or her or on his or her behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the standard of conduct was not met.
Our charter authorizes us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, to obligate ourselves and our bylaws obligate us, to indemnify any present or former director or officer or any individual who, while a director or officer of our company and at our request, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, trustee, member or manager of another corporation, real estate investment trust, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity from and against any claim or liability to which that individual may become subject or which that individual may incur by reason of his or her service in any of the foregoing capacities and to pay or reimburse his or her reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding. Our charter and bylaws also permit us to indemnify and advance expenses to any individual who served a predecessor of our company in any of the capacities described above and any employees or agents of our company or a predecessor of our company.
II-1
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our executive officers and directors whereby we have agreed to indemnify such executive officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by Maryland law against all expenses and liabilities, subject to limited exceptions. These indemnification agreements also provide that upon an application for indemnity by an executive officer or director to a court of appropriate jurisdiction, such court may order us to indemnify such executive officer or director. In addition, our directors and officers are indemnified for specified liabilities and expenses pursuant to the partnership agreement of Farmland Partners Operating Partnership, LP, the partnership whose sole general partner is our wholly owned subsidiary.
Insofar as the foregoing provisions permit indemnification of directors, officer or persons controlling us for liability arising under the Securities Act, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
ITEM 16. EXHIBITS.
The Exhibits to this registration statement are listed on the exhibit index, which appears elsewhere herein and is incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM 17. UNDERTAKINGS.
(a)
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1)
To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement:
(i)
To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
(ii)
To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;
(iii)
To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
(2)
That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3)
To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
II-2
(4)
That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:
(A)
Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(B)
Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
(5)
That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:
The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i)
Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii)
Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(iii)
The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv)
Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
(b)
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c)
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to deliver or cause to be delivered with the prospectus, to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest annual report to security holders that is incorporated by reference in the prospectus and furnished pursuant to and meeting the requirements of Rule 14a-3 or Rule 14c-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and,
II-3
where interim financial information required to be presented by Article 3 of Regulation S-X are not set forth in the prospectus, to deliver, or cause to be delivered to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest quarterly report that is specifically incorporated by reference in the prospectus to provide such interim financial information.
(d)
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
II-4
EXHIBIT INDEX
*
Filed herewith.
II-5
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Denver, State of Colorado, on April 7, 2021.
FARMLAND PARTNERS INC.
By:
/s/ PAUL A. PITTMAN
Paul A. Pittman
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Paul A. Pittman or Luca Fabbri and each of them, his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this registration statement (including post-effective amendments to the registration statement), and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and any other documents in connection therewith, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
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Signature
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Title
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Date
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/s/ PAUL A. PITTMAN
Paul A. Pittman
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| | Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) | | |
April 7, 2021
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/s/ LUCA FABBRI
Luca Fabbri
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| | Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer and principal accounting officer) | | |
April 7, 2021
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/s/ CHRIS A. DOWNEY
Chris A. Downey
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| | Director | | |
April 7, 2021
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/s/ JOHN A. GOOD
John A. Good
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| | Director | | |
April 7, 2021
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/s/ JOSEPH W. GLAUBER
Joseph W. Glauber
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| | Director | | |
April 7, 2021
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/s/ THOMAS P. HENEGHAN
Thomas P. Heneghan
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| | Director | | |
April 7, 2021
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/s/ TOBY L. O’ROURKE
Toby L. O’Rourke
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| | Director | | |
April 7, 2021
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II-6
Exhibit 5.1
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![[MISSING IMAGE: lg_morrisonfoe-bw.jpg]](/stocks/fpi/documents/2a4f1db2-01a4-44a1-a45d-09717d9296f7/asset/lg_morrisonfoe-bw.jpg){kind=small}
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2100 L STREET, NW
SUITE 900 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20037
TELEPHONE: 202.887.1500
FACSIMILE: 202.887.0763
WWW.MOFO.COM
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morrison & foerster llp
beijing, berlin, boston, brussels,
denver, hong kong, london, los angeles, new york, palo alto, san diego, san francisco, shanghai, singapore, tokyo, washington, d.c. |
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April 7, 2021
Board of Directors
Farmland Partners Inc.
4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450
Denver, Colorado 80237
Farmland Partners Inc.
4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450
Denver, Colorado 80237
Re:
Resale Registration Statement on Form S-3
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are acting as counsel to Farmland Partners Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), in connection with its registration statement on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the potential resale, from time to time, pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, of up to 1,250,000 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, by the selling stockholder identified in the Registration Statement, any pre-effective amendment to the Registration Statement and any prospectus supplements to the final prospectus included as part of the Registration Statement.
As counsel for the Company, we have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such documents, corporate records, certificates of public officials and other instruments as we have deemed necessary for the purposes of rendering this opinion and we are familiar with the proceedings taken and proposed to be taken by the Company in relation to the registration of the Shares. In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity with the originals of all documents submitted to us as copies. This opinion letter is given, and all statements herein are made, in the context of the foregoing.
This opinion letter is based as to matters of law solely on the Maryland General Corporation Law, as amended. We express no opinion herein as to any other laws, statutes, ordinances, rules or regulations. As used herein, the term “Maryland General Corporation Law, as amended” includes the statutory provisions contained therein, all applicable provisions of the Maryland Constitution and reported judicial decisions interpreting these laws.
Based upon, subject to and limited by the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
This opinion letter has been prepared for use in connection with the Registration Statement. We assume no obligation to advise you of any changes in the foregoing subsequent to the effective date of the Registration Statement.
We consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement and we consent to the reference of our name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus forming a part of the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Morrison & Foerster LLP
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Exhibit 8.1
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12531 HIGH BLUFF DRIVE
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92130-2040
TELEPHONE: 858.720.5100
FACSIMILE: 858.720.5125
WWW.MOFO.COM
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| |
morrison & foerster llp
beijing, berlin, boston, brussels,
denver, hong kong, london, los angeles, new york, palo alto, san diego, san francisco, shanghai, singapore, tokyo, washington, d.c. |
|
April 7, 2021
Farmland Partners Inc.
4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450
Denver, CO 80237
4600 S. Syracuse Street, Suite 1450
Denver, CO 80237
Re:
Farmland Partners Inc. —
Status as a Real Estate Investment Trust;
Information in Registration Statement under Heading
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
Status as a Real Estate Investment Trust;
Information in Registration Statement under Heading
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are acting as counsel to Farmland Partners Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the proposed resale of 1,250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Shares”). The Shares are the subject of a registration statement filed on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) by the Company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”).
You have requested our opinion as to certain federal income tax matters regarding the Company. Although you may disclose to any and all persons, without limitation of any kind, the federal tax treatment and federal tax structure of the Company and all materials of any kind that were provided to you by us relating to such tax treatment and tax structure, this opinion is intended for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement. You may not authorize any other person or entity to rely on this opinion, or otherwise make this opinion available for the benefit of any other person or entity, without our prior written consent, provided this opinion may be relied upon by persons acquiring Shares from the Company pursuant to the Registration Statement.
In our capacity as counsel to the Company and for purposes of rendering this opinion, we have examined and relied upon the following, with your consent: (i) the Registration Statement; and (ii) a certificate executed by duly appointed officers of the Company (the “Officer’s Certificate”) setting forth certain factual representations, dated April 7, 2021. In addition, we have examined such other documents as we have considered relevant to our analysis. In our examination of such documents, we have assumed the authenticity of original documents, the accuracy of copies, the genuineness of signatures, and the legal capacity of signatories. We have also assumed that all parties to such documents have acted, and will act, in accordance with the terms of such documents.
Our opinion is based on (a) our understanding of the facts as represented to us in the Officer’s Certificate and (b) the assumption that (i) the Company and its subsidiaries have valid legal existences under the laws of the states in which they were formed and have operated in accordance with the laws of such states, (ii) the Company is operated, and will continue to be operated, in the manner described in the Officer’s Certificate, (iii) the facts contained in the Registration Statement are true and complete in all material respects, (iv) all representations of fact contained in the Officer’s Certificate are true and complete and (v) any representation of fact in the Officer’s Certificate that is made “to the knowledge of” or similarly qualified is correct without such qualification. While we have made such inquiries and investigations as we have deemed necessary, we have not undertaken an independent inquiry into or verification of all such facts either in the course of our representation of the Company or for the purpose of rendering this opinion. While we have reviewed all representations made to us to determine their reasonableness, and nothing has come to our attention that would cause us to question the accuracy of such representations, we have no assurance that they are or will ultimately prove to be accurate.
We note that the tax consequences addressed herein depend upon the actual occurrence of events in the future, which events may or may not be consistent with any representations made to us for purposes of this opinion. In particular, the qualification and taxation of the Company as a “real estate investment trust” (“REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes depends upon the Company’s ability to meet on a continuing basis certain distribution levels, diversity of stock ownership, and the various qualification tests imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). To the extent that the facts differ from those represented to or assumed by us herein, our opinion should not be relied upon.
Our opinion herein is based on existing law as contained in the Code, final and temporary Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, administrative pronouncements of the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) and court decisions as of the date hereof. The provisions of the Code and the Treasury Regulations, IRS administrative pronouncements and case law upon which this opinion is based could be changed at any time, perhaps with retroactive effect. In addition, some of the issues under existing law that could significantly affect our opinion have not yet been authoritatively addressed by the IRS or the courts, and our opinion is not binding on the IRS or the courts. Hence, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge, or that the courts will agree with, our conclusions.
Based upon, and subject to, the foregoing and the next paragraphs below, we are of the opinion that, as of the date hereof:
(i)
The Company has been organized and has operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as REIT under the Code for its taxable year ended December 31, 2014 through its taxable year ended December 31, 2020, and the Company’s organization and current and proposed method of operation will enable it to continue to qualify for taxation as a REIT for its taxable year ending December 31, 2021 and in the future.
(ii)
We have reviewed the statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement under the heading “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” and, insofar as such statements pertain to matters of law or legal conclusions, they are correct in all material respects.
We undertake no obligation to update this opinion, or to ascertain after the date hereof whether circumstances occurring after such date may affect the conclusions set forth herein. We express no opinion as to matters governed by any laws other than the Code, the Treasury Regulations, published administrative announcements and rulings of the IRS, and court decisions.
This opinion is furnished to you solely for use in connection with the Registration Statement. We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to such Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our firm name wherever appearing in the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder, nor do we thereby admit that we are experts with respect to any part of the Registration Statement within the meaning of the term “experts” as used in the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Morrison & Foerster LLP
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-3 of Farmland Partners, Inc. of our report dated March 19, 2021 relating to the consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule of Farmland Partners, Inc., which report appears in the Annual Report on From 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.
/s/ Plante & Moran, PLLC
Denver, Colorado
April 7, 2021
April 7, 2021