Maxcrop...

[Klause]

http://maxcrop.ca


Chinese investing in Canadian farmland??? Time to bring this to the Government's attention as far as foreign ownership (illegal in Canada)?...

[malleefarmer]

cninese are active here in australia buying all the best land at inflated prices,good if you want to sell....
govt have a foriegn investment review board in place now to keep everything in check but its a toothless tiger does nothing

[ajl]

The track record for off farm investment
in western Canadian farmland is that they
get there A$$ handed to them eventually.
I expect the same thing will happen again.
No other place in the world is so far from
the markets it serves, and has more
government milking it and has crazy
weather if the above was not enough.

[wilagro]

Don't trust this !@#$% AB government at all when it comes to furinners. They'll sell us out if it suits there "political philosophy"...bunch of idiots. Remember Ernie Isley when he was Ag Minister...all those Taiwan interests where the government lent them money and promoted and smoothed the way for more hog farm investment even when local authorities didn't want it. Pretty soon after that debacle every hog farmer in AB was going broke.

[westsider]

Good point Klause! I first heard about this around Christmas time. I was told an investment fund (from now on referred to as "group")here in Saskatchewan was trying to figure out a way to get foreign money invested in Sask farmland through a type of derivative. This group was talking to investment managers and finance experts as well as dropping 10's of thousands of dollars in a big Toronto law firm to try to figure out how to get around the rules / regulations and make this a possibility.

This group based out of Regina does not really care about anything besides finding out (and succeeding) how to get around the law and getting rich at the expense of every Saskatchewan farmer. The method they have set up pays the group a certain % commission right off the top. So.... a) they want the land to be as expensive as possible when these foreign multi-nationals start funneling their money in here b) if land prices implode they don't really care, they made their money already.
I sent a letter to Brad Wall awhile ago concerning this and how this company was planning on making this crime happen. I got a reply from one of his "people" and the basic message was, "its illegal for foreigners to own Sask farm land therefore it will not happen". Made me feel pretty confident in our system. <heavy sarcasm>
I am just as much a capitalist as the next guy on here but also believe a little protectionist action needs to be taken here by our government.
I would encourage each and everyone of you guys on here to tell your friends and family what we are looking at and make sure each contacts their local government member.

West-side Out

[BTOfarmallll]

Awwwe I'll Squash em' like a Bug. Lets worry about The Hutts First!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[riders2010]

Hate to bring cwb into this but, many around here believe the cwb issue is a smoke screen designed to deflect attention away from this and other much more important issues facing agriculture in western canada. Just look at he posting on here, this is a major issue multiple times more important than the cwb, yet every second post is about the cwb.
Wonder if the the political hacks from the sask party and other political cronies in the farm investment scam are using that foreign money to take over farms knowing the programs are an intentional flop? those guys were no millionaires in fact far from it, until they got to power and almost overnight buying land like there was no end to money?

The most important resources in the world are right here, land, fertilizer, oil, lumber etc. and we give it away or allow foreigners to take it over for a pittance of money. And there is absulutely no discussion about the direction our country is taking on all these issues.

Just a question not sure anyone would know but do the bank accounts of government officials get scrutinized while in power or after?

[jd3007]

Westsider, I phoned the Saskatchewan Farmland Security board about them and they told me they were investigating, but that is all they would say They have recently been purchasing land in east central saskatchewan at prices that are double of what they were before. No locals are even thinking of purchasing in this range. I plan on also sending a letter to my MLA. Hopefully if enough people complain the point will get across.

[Klause]

EC SK?

That would be Leroy area?


Let me get this straight...

1. Buy land at 1200/ac... when its market value is 700.

2. Rent out at 45/ac if you can find someone - which they are having trouble with there.

3. Expect the land to appreciate past 1200/ac.

I don't quite understand.... this makes no sense...

It's not like Chinese investors can send their peasants over here, farm the land, then take the commodities back.... so what's the
point in this exercise?


What's going to happen.... farmland will go up till it hits a bubble bursting point, something will trigger a collapse, these investors
will want to get out in a hurry, and sell to whoever gives them something for it, and they will loose most of the value in their initial
investment.

I'm sorry... but history is doomed to repeat itself.

[westsider]

Klause - "It's not like Chinese investors can send their peasants over here, farm the land, then take the commodities back.... so what's the
point in this exercise?"

This is not an exercise in futility! These are very smart, resourceful and ambitious individuals, corporations and countries doing this. It's not a plan to that is set up to fail.

Go to your nearest university that offers ag programs and take a look at who all the post graduate and masters students are. I am not making racist comments here but these Universities are actually pulling some of the brightest young "white Canadians" aside and begging them to continue on. This land play is not currently set up to send all the grain back to Asia right now, maybe later it will. They want to take over and are working the Canadian ag industry like a chess board, always thinking 2 moves ahead.

Like someone mentioned above this is a "limited resource" getting smaller by the day. Like farmers when things go bad these guys will sell out everything else just to keep their names on the land titles.

The only people that can stop this is government, and that's if they even want to!

[newguy]

Think Sask land has a bit to go before over priced. Bought my first half section of land in 76 for 45 thousand. The seller bought a house in Weyburn for that amount. That house is worth 350 and my half is worth 150. Sask farmland has been some of the last land priced on production. Chinese have invested in Canada for years. This is just a new thing to invest in Ag land.

[Klause]

I deal with the Chinese daily in my IT business... These are businessmen looking for their internet presences, and things like that, so they have their PhDs, etc.


I find they are brash, don't think what they're doing, and always run into everything head first and ask questions later...

If we look at history, have the Chinese ever been ahead of the ball? How long as it taken them to figure out capitalism as opposed to the rest of the world - simply look back to WWII to see how easily Japan dominated China.


The Chinese are leaches - pure and simple - and they are here to try and "suck" resources back to their own country - and those that don't want to do that wish to dominate the world... We will see what is going to happen to China within 5 years.


As far as the comment Re: houses vs. grain land... Is that house that's priced at $350,000 really worth that? Remember, everyone is saying Canada's housing market is in a bubble.


I think the next year will be very interesting...

[ado089]

Newguy, do you make a living off a house? For most people, no. Using your logic a pint of beer cost $7.50 so is should get $7.50/bu for malt.
Anyway lets keep sticking it to the next generation, run up inflation, build that debt and sell all our assets to foreign intrests. Thanks boomers

[checking]

There was a time in history where China had the largest navy in the world with matching trade routes. Those ships were called back to port by their Emperor, and instead his development eyes turned inward. Had it not happened, North America would have been bumped into and settled by the Chinese, so in effect they are just retaking what they could have had.

Nationalism can sure screw up what an individual(s) of the world would pay for ground, but worse than that is the neighbour that believes my land should be their's, at their price, when I'm finished with it.

[Hopperbin]

"Zonguo" May have miss spelled it a little means Middle country or according to the Chinese, the center of the world, that is what the Chinese call their country, center of the world. Capitalism was never gone in China, just recently there was a major shift by their gov't to do the will of the people and give them back their industries. Although highly corrupted and controversial in the chinese society millionares and billionares were made often overnight. The dollar was God and business does not shut down. Not saying they did not work for it. They love to be their own boss as for one reason a business owner in China typically earns 100 to 1000 times more than a highly skilled worker. Tuff to keep workers as skilled workers often leave to start their own ventures. These are just some of my views of China.
As far as companies here the rules are that they must first attempt to hire local Canadians first. Like the hog industry Big Sky phillippines are the worker of choice now there is a steady stream of phillippines coming in because at least they stay the 3 year contract before finding work elsewhere , a few exeptions breaking contract. Green houses bring in Mexicans for their seasonal work. To tell you the truth I cannot find help for my farm. It would not surprise me at all if the Chinese would come here some day to work the grain farms. I know one that all you have to do is give him a couple hammers, anvel, vise, welder, torch, can make some amazing shit. One skill farmers are losing in my opinion. Not sure what to think of all this, my biggest question is why offer rent to someone buying at inflated prices when you could have bought it cheaper. Over paying is not new. Especially when your new to the area.