PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY
This summary highlights selected information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. This summary is not complete and may not contain all of the information that may be important to you in deciding whether to invest in shares of the Series C Preferred Stock. To understand this offering fully prior to making an investment decision, you should carefully read this prospectus supplement, including the “Risk Factors” sections beginning on pageS-12 of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, ourAnnual Report on Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and other reports and information that we file with the SEC, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, including the financial statements and notes to those financial statements.
Unless the context otherwise requires or indicates, each reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus to (i) “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” means Gladstone Land Corporation, a Maryland corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, (ii) “Operating Partnership” means Gladstone Land Limited Partnership, a majority-owned, consolidated subsidiary of the Company and a Delaware limited partnership, (iii) “Adviser” means Gladstone Management Corporation, the external adviser of the Company and a Delaware corporation, and (iv) “Administrator” means Gladstone Administration, LLC, the external administrator of the Company and a Delaware limited liability company.
The Company
We are an externally-managed, agricultural REIT that wasre-incorporated in Maryland on March 24, 2011, having been previouslyre-incorporated in Delaware on May 25, 2004. We are primarily in the business of owning and leasing farmland; we are not a grower, nor do we typically farm the properties we own.
Prior to 2004, we were engaged in the owning and leasing of farmland, as well as an agricultural operating business whereby we engaged in the farming, contract growing, packaging, marketing and distribution of fresh berries, including commission selling and contract cooling services to independent berry growers. In 2004, we sold our agricultural operating business, and since then, our operations have generally consisted of leasing our farms to third-party tenants.
As of February 19, 2020, we owned 113 farms comprised of approximately 88,000 total acres across 10 states in the U.S. (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Washington). We also own several farm-related facilities, such as cooling facilities, packinghouses, processing facilities and various storage facilities. These farms and facilities are currently leased to 70 different, third-party tenants that are either independent or corporate farming operations. Historically, our farmland has predominantly been concentrated in locations where tenants are able to grow fresh produce annual row crops (e.g., certain berries and vegetables), which are typically planted and harvested annually. However, since our initial public offering in January 2013 (the “IPO”), we have diversified the variety of crops grown on our farms, and we now also own farms that grow permanent crops (e.g., almonds, pistachios, blueberries and wine grapes), as well as several farms that grow commodity crops (e.g., corn and beans). We also own several farm-related facilities that are necessary to the farming operations on the underlying farmland, such as cooling facilities, packinghouses, processing facilities, and various storage facilities. While our focus remains on farmland growing fresh produce annual row crops, in the future, we expect to acquire additional farmland that grows permanent crops, and, to a lesser extent, commodity crops, as well as more farm-related facilities.
Most of our properties are leased on atriple-net basis, an arrangement under which, in addition to rent, the tenant is required to pay the related taxes, insurance costs (including drought insurance if we were to acquire properties that depend upon rainwater for irrigation), maintenance and other operating costs. We may also elect to sell