Massive investment firms are pushing the cost of land out of reach. The cost of farmland is skewed by the interests of investment firms who are purchasing land far above market rate.

Time to protect Canadian-owned farmland

Young farmers and farmworker leaders call for ban on investor ownership of farmland

Canada is hemorrhaging farmers. Recent reporting shows that 40 per cent of Canadian farm operators plan to retire over the next decade. The majority don’t have a succession plan. The number one barrier facing new farmers is access to farmland. By 2033, a shortfall of 24,000 general farm, nursery and greenhouse workers is expected to emerge. Young farmers

farmland for sale

Comment: Growing farmland inequality in Prairies a problem for all Canadians

Farmers are uneasy about the ballooning acres of investor-owned farmland, and they’re right to be

Real estate is a hot topic in Canada. Most Canadians are acutely aware of how home prices and rents have skyrocketed in the last 15 years or so. In large cities, investor ownership of condos and houses has attracted enough attention that the federal government was prompted to crack down on foreign buyers. Since 2014,


photo: dave bedard

Manitoba farmland values up 11.2 per cent

Prairie provinces all show double-digit increases in farmland values

Average Manitoba farmland prices were up 11.2 per cent in 2022 — slightly below the Canadian average increase of 12.8 per cent. The data was released in a Farm Credit Canada report March 13 and represents the largest increase the province has seen since 2015, when prices rose 12.4 per cent. This year’s increase follows jumps of

“The long-term impact of not addressing this is huge in terms of lost productivity, profitability and value over millions of acres.” – Barry Manikel, AgCall.

The elephant in the field

Farmers say when it comes to rented land, they’re fighting the battle alone

Farmers know that sustained production depends on how well they treat their land so it’s in their interest to keep it as healthy as they can. But what if the land is rented? Are the principles of stewardship practised as well on land that isn’t theirs? And do landowners understand the benefits of good stewardship

U.S. seeks to conserve more farmland as crop prices climb

U.S. seeks to conserve more farmland as crop prices climb

Farmers say it’s going to be a tough sell in a profitable market

Reuters – The Biden administration hopes to convince farmers to set aside four million more acres of land for conservation this year by raising payment rates in an environmental program, but farmers said surging crop prices make it a tougher sell. The push to enrol more land into the 36-year-old Conservation Reserve Program is a part of


Dakota Sorensen of Eddystone (right) expresses his concern during a public meeting on Crown land lease changes in Ste. Rose du Lac Oct. 15.

Crown lands renewal promise fails to quench rancher anger

New forage Crown land regulations have earned near-universal scorn

[UPDATE: Oct. 24, 2019] Ranchers are deriding what they say are half-measures when it comes to fixing new Crown lands regulations. The changes, announced in September 2018, and outlined this fall, drop the old points system in favour of open auction, extend eligibility to Canadian residents outside Manitoba, drop lease length from 50 years to

Annette Desmarais, Canada Research chair in Human Rights, Social Justice and Food Sovereignty presented findings of a study on farmland tenure patterns in Saskatchewan during the Keystone Agricultural Producers annual general meeting.

Not farming? Pay up

Researcher wants to track land tenure throughout the Prairies

To keep more farmland in the hands of farmers, put a levy on sales of it to those who buy land but don’t plan farming it themselves. That’s a proposal put forward as a resolution at Keystone Agricultural Producers’ annual general meeting and supported by delegates last month. This would be a support to younger

The railway ‘spaghetti’ network

The railway ‘spaghetti’ network

Our History: January 1975

The map of the rail network in Western Canada looked a lot more like spaghetti in 1975. In our January 2 issue, we reported that the federal government had announced the basic rail network of 12,413 miles would be protected until 2000, and that 6,283 miles would be reviewed. It was later announced that would


overhead view of farmland

Manitoba farmland in demand, Eichler says

Most upward pressure on prices appears to come from established producers looking to expand, he told the Senate ag committee

The demand for Manitoba farmland from existing large farms is pushing prices up, although the rate of increase has eased during the last few years, says provincial Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler. “Crop production land has been mainly purchased by local producers expanding their operations as they bring in the next generations of farmers to the

Better data on landownership crucial to protecting farms

Better data on landownership crucial to protecting farms

Nobody knows exactly what’s happening with farmland sales and how many sales are to non-farmers

Much better national information on landownership is crucial to ensuring Canada’s food-producing capacity can keep growing, says Dan Mazier, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers. Mazier, along with his counterparts from the Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan and the Alberta Federation of Agriculture, told the Senate agriculture committee the dearth of data on landownership is a