Farmland Ownership Surveys

[biglentil]

Yep most 20k acre guys could give a shit about the land they have no really ties to it. They are just waiting to sell out to a big multinational so they can live out there perverted cocaine induced fantasy. So our next generation can pay rent like peasant serfs. This time round there is no free world they can escape to.

[tstep]

All I'm going to say is. The ones that feel that the all mighty buck is all your after and you don't give a shit about future generations that want to own and farm this land. You can go to hell!! Keep this land and province together. If foreigners want to come and live and farm this land and support our communities all the power to them. But **** off investors!!!!!!

[RTK]

Farmland is best controlled by the farmer. No way will I sell out to some investment firm or Chinese. My land will be sold/given to some deserving young farmer at a price that I feel will allow him to succeed. I got some breaks along the way and I intend to pass it on... All I want is a thanks and I get to sit back and think to myself that I had a part in ensuring my farm continues on. I hope the person I give a break to does the same but I I will be long gone so I will never know if they just cash in...

[farmaholic]

Nice thought on paying it forward RTK.
There are guys around here who won't sell or rent to the BTOs.

How many of you own the house you live in? Kind of the same scenario. Pay rent your whole life and have nothing at the end.

Business wise it.is still likely cheaper to rent than buy. I am not saying there is no place for renting but I prefer the security of owning what I am farming.

I know guys who bought machinery to farm rented land that probably made up half their acreage only to have it taken away because someone show up
with a dollar an acre(sarcasm) more.

I also know of landlords who will take less rent from good stable local Producers than the flighty BTO or average Joe who will grab land at any cost.

[fjlip]

Yup, just what a retirement planner said, either you cash it in our your children will. Nobody gave me a "break", had to pay the highest price even from relatives, which at that time could not pay for it self either. Got it paid off, so will next gen OVERPAY and make it. However to your own children, make any deal or even give it to them now, they will get it all eventually and live very well.

[farmaholic]

Here's another land ownership twist. The old active farmer decides to quit and has no kids who want to farm. But the "family" decides to keep the land in the family and his kids inherit it, and their kids inherit it, and so on. You can hardly say the subsequent generations don't have a right to own the land. Some nonfarmer family land could already be nearly 2 generations away from active farming.

So what set of rules do you develop and who do you deny Sask land ownership?

Like bucket might say, why isn't it considered a strategic resource?

What are the rules in other countries? Is it wise to lose control of something so valuable.

Sad part is, if it was lucrative, we wouldn't have to open ownership up to investment companies and foreigners and pension funds bscause there would.be enough demand with in our provincial boundries or Canadian borders

[Ache4Acres]

The low interest rate environment is fuelling this as well. CPP and others are happy with only a 3% rate of return on their farmland purchases because they know it is a safe investment that cant go to zero and any other investment barely does any better. As has been said farming is about asset appreciation, not yearly profits.

It doesn't help that every second investment show or billionaire is out there touting up farmland as the best investment!

[farmaholic]

When I bought land years ago, I would have never dreamt in my wildest dreams I would have realized the appreciation in the land I have seen. That being said it I thought it was imperative to make money along the way, to pay for the land, buy machinery, live, and feather the nest of retirement. Pretty high expectations? The appreciation has been a "bonus"!

[perfecho]

Wheatking...that is true today, but you and I have no idea what the future holds....if they need it, they will take it.....

[sumdumguy]

I worked at farm income programs from 1991-2011 and saw the other side of agriculture where year after year there was no way to pencil a profit. The only hope was that you could catch an updraft in special crops. Farmers aged and all the kids were off to Alberta and other lucrative occupations. Then the stars lined up for agriculture with the high oil prices, ethanol, good weather and high prices, coupled with a lot of cheap money and land like gold, silver, houses was inflated. Who knows how long these conditions will continue? In 1980, land around us got up over $1000/acre, even $1500, then slumped back to $375. Land means different things to different people. There have been good times in the last few years and remember on Agriville, we are talking to the survivors, some die-hards, farming addicts even. We don't hear the other side on here - the ones that succumbed, and there are many.

[biglentil]

Most have it all wrong the value of land is intrinsic value or its productive value. It land prices are 100000 an acre in paper dollars the lands intrinsic value remains the same. In such a scenario and a farmer sells out to a big investor his wealth does not increase one bit. Paper money has zero intrinsic value and generates next to zero interest. Unless that farmer can take that paper and quickly convert it into a productive asset with the same or higher intrinsic value then he has lost. Not only he has lost but also all his family lineage to come in the future. The problem is the large landowners are not going to sell back to the little guys to allow them to get a foot in the door. The parcels get bigger and bigger until a few billionaires own it all. Remember there were many that came before us to allow us to make a living off the land. It's not just about you even if you like to think made it on your own. Someone likely passed multigenerational information to you, lent you a tractor, helped you with a breakdown.... Many made big sacrifices to come here and settle this land so we could enjoy the privilege of land ownership. We must protect this asset for future generations of our families.

[riders2010]

That's so true. What the foreign investment thing did was mask the reality that the risk of farming due to weather and shitty prices manipulated by the market told a very bleak reality of the farmers position.

And what a joke the current govs fed and prov tried to take credit for higher land values by getting rid of wheat board.

I can't believe people don't see what buddies of the gov did to farmers. Government buddies Formed investment companies paid relatively little for land because the programs were shit then wall opened up foreigners. Why that isn't investigated for insider corruption is beyond me.

I m surprised so many of you that value what your land and farm means to you and your community
Don't give a shit about the future of it.

Land values should have gone up without foreigners it didn't because of he risk involved that is not factored into price and that's not just here in canada. The only difference is other governments support their farmers risk.