Pine River

[roly]

Hello,

As some of you may know, I have beentrying to buy a farm on the Prairies, I have justed returned from Canada and thought I had done a deal, but when I rang the farmer the other day, he has changed his mind.

I know have a farm to look at in Pine River, but it is an area I don't know. Can anybody give me any information on the area? And what they think the land up there would carry in the way of cattle.

[whiteface]

I don't know Pine River, roly but why did the Ituna property fall through? Try ringing him today after the 2nd possible BSE looming over his head and see what he says!!!! I bet you get half of Saskatchewan for $50.00!! I may even consider mine!!! Have a good day! Hope to have you in Canada soon!

[countryguy]

Would this happen to be Pine River Manitoba?

If it is the area has an abundance of cheap land with fairly decent production capabilities.Lots of bush in the area.There are alot of ranchers moving into the area from out of province and liking it there.

The downside to the area is that it is fairly far away from a bigger town.Swan River and Dauphin are each about 50 miles away.

The good thing about the area is that being near the Duck Mountains there is alot of recreation close by.The Ducks have alot of beautiful lakes,camping,and trails for 4 wheeling ,snowmobiling and hunting if you're into those things.

Another bonus is that you'd be moving into an area with 2 slaughter plants coming up close by.One for culls and bulls and possibly finished cattle in the future,and another one for finished cattle a little farther away.

Good luck finding a ranch.

[countryguy]

Maybe you mean the Pine in the B.C. north country. Now there is ranch country. Mountains, chinooks, grass, and freedom. Got my eyes one one up there myself, but with the industry crisis, it will stay a dream for a while yet.

[Cedar]

Countryguy:

"and another one for finished cattle a little farther away."

Where is this? What is this? What do you know that you perhaps should be sharing?

[Cedar]

There are a lot of cattle operations for sale in Alberta as well, although some of them are in the central and southern part of the province and land in some of those areas is very pricey due to the pressure for development near Red Deer and Calgary.
Some great operations for sale in west central AB., depending on what sort of operation you intend to run.
Water can sometimes be an issue depending on the location in the province.

[whiteface]

Mine's for sale for a half a mil. Sure, I'll take a half a milicent! LOL! Can even see the mountains from my place, though RP's is nicer yet! Make any of us an offer! Have a nice day all!

[ALLFARMER]

Rolly have a look at:
farmsforsale.com or landtrader.com

My advise to you is move to an Ag. area that also has Oilfield or Logging...Off farm income keeps more farms afloat then you can imagine. Very fiew farmers got to where they are with only ag income.

[kato]

If it's Pine River Manitoba, there is logging there. Louisiana Pacific has a big plant in Minitonas. Not that far away.

No oil, though.

But if you are into outdoor stuff like fishing, hunting, camping and such, it's a terrific place. If you are into malls and theaters and shopping, you have to drive a bit.

[kato]

Good advice ALLFARMER. I live in an area where many farmers work in the resource industries over winter to supplement their income, and for many of them , that is the only thing that keeps the farm afloat ! If you look through Alberta you will find that the economy of communities that rely on mainly a farm base are having in trouble. Choosing to farm in an area where off farm income or combining farming with some sort of home based business such as a repair shop or something similar makes good sense.

[roly]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply
yes the farm is in pine river Manitoba
I hope I will not need to get a job off farm I have worked in other industries all my life and farmed part time now I would like to farm full time. If I can buy a farm with very little financing I hope I can get by.

One thing I have noticed about the prairies is that everything is cheap, land, fuel, food, the only thing that is very expensive is second hand tractors, they a double and more than what you can buy them here. Another good thing, is there is no red tape like we have over here.

Everyone seems to be going through a bad patch just now with the BSE, but when itis over (in our case it took 4 years) cattle should rocket.

[WoolyBear]

Check this web realtor out. They cover that area of Manitoba

http://www.lcn2000.com/goldenwest/Search.htm

[WoolyBear]

roly, I admire your determination and certainly wish you every success. Second hand tractors aren't cheap, neither are repairs !!!!!!

[cowman]

Well roly, not just sure where you are from...I am assuming Europe? Possibly the UK?
I wouldn't get to hooked on the "cheap land" thing myself, as there is usually a reason it is "cheap"...namely it won't grow anything and should have been left in buffalo pasture!
The other thing you need to realize is over here the government couldn't really give a rip if you sink or swim so be prepared to fend for yourself!
Now having got all the negative stuff out of the way(and giving a little plug for Alberta)...come on over! This is still a land of opportunity for a man who isn't afraid of some work and wants to go places! Lord knows we need some kindred souls from the old country instead of some of the trash we've let in here!

[cowman]

Roly, as usual cowman is giving some excellent advice. Cheap land isn't always the best deal in the long run. The potential for resale likely isn't as good, and the distance from urban centres can often be a drawback.
I don't know exactly where you are planning to locate, but if you are a long way from the nearest town of any size, you might end up spending a lot of time driving for parts etc. There is still land availible in parts of Alberta for a reasonable price.