Foreign Land Ownership

[MBgrower]

ive never heard of a non farm business complain about the valuation of their business being too high.

Yes land is expensive, $4000-5000.acre here. but it mostly local farmers buying the land, not Chinese. Land always seems too expensive. 20 years ago land was $1000 an acre and it was deemed too expensive. a smart farm is always buying some land, building an appreciating asset base in which will assist in leveraging the means to grow their business. if you are a farm that relies heavily on rented acres, I'm sorry to say, but you will have a harder time sustaining the business.

[farmaholic]

Cheaper to rent than to buy right now, but I do agree..... ownership is where it's at!

[newguy]

Money brings people.people bring money.Nany farmers had the oportunity to buy more land before investors and did not.Would be nice to turn back the clock but you can not.Sask needs to stay open for business.you better believe the farmers saying they are against investors wold change their tune when they are ready to sell their life's hard work.

[farmaholic]

Yup...depends what stage you're at.

[phoenix64]

Mb local maybe buying but the price is being dictated by foreigners and Chinese on the doorstep, sellers and buyers both know this. Farms are risking too much equity and security to expand with a new generation stepping up to the plate. Western Canada used to be a competive ag producer, but we are quickly losing that edge on the world stage. Our high land cost is putting us at a disadvantage, Black Sea region can put a bushel of wheat into export position for three dollars less than us. That gives them a great competive advantage. As commodity prices continue on that downward trend they will destroy us.

[sumdumguy]

Black Sea land for sale?

[farmaholic]

Black Sea land for sale?

The instability of the area would keep me out! Send in the Investors.

[fjlip]

The instability of the area would keep me out! Send in the Investors.

Yup, politics ruined the BEST location to grow crops, Ukraine. Climate for every crop, close to ports, 6' of level stone free black soil, close to market of millions!
But shit for politics, for hundreds of years, that is why most of our ancestors left for this location on earth.

[grassfarmer]

I agree. should be a big issue for western canada. dont hear much about it.

Maybe you have the wrong people representing you? One farm organisation has studied and commented on this many times - the NFU.
This 2015 update to their earlier 2010 paper on the same topic is well worth the read:

[URL="http://www.nfu.ca/issues/losing-our-grip-2015-update"]http://http://www.nfu.ca/issues/losing-our-grip-2015-update[/URL]

Of course it is in our best interests to have Canadian land farmed by Canadian but to do that it needs to be profitable enough to attract and retain young farmers. Which leads back to the central policy of the NFU which is always to ensure sustainable, profitable family farms. It seems like too many have been led down the path leading to the false holy grail - the "global marketplace". Some of you seem surprised when you get there to discover that there is no guarantee of sustainability or profitability merely a race to the bottom with every level beyond the farm gate extracting a good margin but not the farmer.
Oh well, can't say you weren't warned!

[bucket]

But now Trudeau wants to tax intergenerational transfers .....it's a no win situation if you saddle a young farmer that is getting some help with a tax burden on a paid for farm.....