How do you see yourself?

[grassfarmer]

grassfarmer the Peace Country does look attractive and the land is productive, the only drawback is the lack of water. Domestic water sources are usually dugouts, which is a far cry from that good water well you rely on at home.

[grassfarmer]

OK Emrald fair point, but people are living there now so it can't be impossible. I was used to an unlimited supply of free, gravity fed spring water in Scotland. Here we have to pay for power to pump hard water from 60-90 feet down. Different areas always have different problems most of which can be overcome if the overall move will work out. I was only using the Peace country as an example - i've never actually travelled up there yet but I will someday.

[kpb]

grassfarmer, you're right, three quarters of land here would buy a good ranch in northern Alberta. We started buying land up near Lac La Biche ten years or so ago and we've kept adding to it for summer grazing. I love it up there--it's wild and great cattle country with lots of water and the land is still cheap. Beautiful country. But the plain fact is that my kids and wife like having a town close by for hockey and such and a city close by for the same things. Not me but it would be hard to convince them to live somewhere else so I guess you just can't have everything. But if I was a young guy just starting out I'd sure head for northern Alberta.


kpb

[kpb]

The Peace is a beautiful area. The Peace River Valley is awesome in the fall. Dunvegan bridge scares the hell out of me in the winter but the view is awesome.
Many of the communites are fairly remote and the rural area is sparsly settled. Lots of landowners with large tracts of land, some due to the influx of homesteaders forty years ago.

Places like Worsley for example don't have many services but there are some fairly large farms in the area, including livestock operations.

grassfarmer you would really enjoy a visit to that part of the province. I drive a different way each time.

[grassfarmer]

How like - fast, slow, backwards?
Oh a different route I see!

[grassfarmer]

Ha Ha a little levity grassfarmer !!! I meant a differnt route.....and there are several to take depending on which area of the Peace Region one is heading.
I go up to Fairview several times each year and also over to Fahler as well. The trip over to Fahler is great going through the Smoky River valley.
Even the municipalities have very scenic names:

Saddle Hills County
MD of Smoky River
MD of Birch Hills
MD of Clear Hills
MD of Northern Lights
Northern Sunrise County

etc., not to forget the County of Grande Prairie, the very FIRST county in AB., so of course it is County of GP #1 !!!

And now I will end the geograph lesson for tonight !!!

PS: On some trips over the Dunvegan bridge and hill, I nearly did drive a DIFFERNT WAY....grassfarmer, WITH MY EYES SHUT !!!!!!!!!! It is quite the trip on icy roads but no worse than a lot of highways in the winter.

[grassfarmer]

GEEZ, I think it is time for bed....just checked out my last post and I sure would not win a spelling bee !!!!!

[cowman]

I do believe anyone wanting to be in "real" farming needs to consider their land costs, however I agree with Sean in that a lot of us are really in the land business? I mean when you think about it your actual asset value is probably going up every year while that land in the sticks just seems to hardly move? Land in parts of Saskatchewan is incredibly cheap!
My Dutch neighbor tells me $100,000/acre is a good general ballpark figure for land in Holland! So maybe $2,000/$3,000 per acre here is cheap?
I suppose land is usually priced by supply and demand...and not just by its agricultural value? I mean, not many people want to live way out in the sticks away from all the goodies? Especially women?

[cowman]

cowman, don't you get a kick out of the fact that nobody wants to live in remote areas, but folks with houses in areas that are settled will buy a cabin in wilderness and pay a pretty penny for it, just to have peace and quiet !!!
I don't really live in the sticks but I like my quiet little country road, and the serenity of my rural home. Although this morning there are cows bawling all over the countryside and dogs barking in a chorus around the neighbourhood but they are 'county' sounds and I like that !

[grassfarmer]

It was interesting to find out when "shopping for land" in a new country the close correlation in value between different beef producing countries let alone different areas of Canada. It is all linked when you compare on a $ per cow capacity basis. Price per acre just complicates the picture given the differing production potential.

[grassfarmer]

grassfarmer, I think that the price of land in Alberta is directly linked to the development potential.
Anyone trying to buy farmland for agricultural purposes near urban centres, highway 2 corridor or anywhere with a view of the mountains will pay five times what they will pay for land away from the mainstream....and that is due to the development potential and nothing more, doesn't have anything to do with the price of cattle, grain etc.

[grassfarmer]

Urban development is a world wide problem too. Stripping away the values attached to this in higher
"desirability" areas still gives you values you can compare with south America or Europe. Beef production by definition is a low value land use suited to extensive areas of poorer quality land, maybe it's time more beef producers looked to moving onto cheaper land.
Certainly no one would consider grazing beef animals in Holland on any great scale, when the land suits growing vegetables and intensive operations like pigs, poultry and dairy you simply can't afford to.

[grassfarmer]

Grassfarmer, that is why the areas of west central AB are so well suited for cow/calf production. Clearwater County, the west end of Wetaskiwin and Ponoka Counties, Brazeau County and Yellowhead County are all excellent areas for forage production and pasturing cattle. Land is not cheap but compared to land values where cowman and Randy live it sure is a bargain.

[cswilson]

There is an unbelievable amount of land up for grabs up in my neck of the woods-two recent deaths-a couple divorces and some guys just packing it in. A guy could put together land for a thousand cows pretty easy right now. First time I've ever seen land available and nobody wanting to rent it.

[cowman]

I wonder about how much stress people can take before they break? I wonder if your "couple of divorces" were a result of financial stress? Lets face it, farmers are kind of tied to the land and are likely to try to hang in there as long as they can? That would certainly put a lot of stress on any relationship? Especially if the spouse realized that no way is this thing going to turn around!
I have a friend who is basically going through this whole garbage right now. I can't really fault the wife, as he isn't looking at this whole thing realistically, but it is going to bring this whole thing to a head! Personally I hope the bank gets screwed in a big way!