How do we repopulate rural areas?

[Sheepwheat]

The other thread is an extension of the way I think.

So ppl, how do we revitalize rural western Canada if we keep this goofy commodity agriculture mindset?

[AlbertaFarmer5]

A healthy economy, do everything we can to encourage other industries, mining, oil and gas, value added, forestry, tourism. This unfortunately is a chicken and egg problem.

Enable and encourage upstart farmers with outside of the box thinking such as yours.

Eliminate subsidized crop insurance and other programs that remove the risk from growing exponentially, while punishing anyone trying to get started.

Quit trying to drive up the cost of living for rural and remote residents with targeted taxes such as the CO2 tax.

Encourage new Canadians to settle outside of the big cities. They have more work ethic, drive, ambition and new ideas than most of us put together.

[ajl]

In addition to AB5's list: market rates of interest by eliminating central banks. This remove speculative value out of farmland so the old gezers can sell their assets. This gives smaller operations and upstarts a chance to succeed. And here is the biggee: cut government jobs and pay. The biggest factor causing cities to grow is that government pays more than the private sector so people move to cities to work government jobs. This would also have the affect of raising family size because who primarily works for the government. The later will only happen after canuckistan does its venezuela ie. government bankruptcy. The former will happen at the same time. By that time I will be in the aforementioned gezer club.

[jazz]

Frankly, you never will. Canadas current and future demographics and our weather are not aligned with such an endeavor.

You will not get people to move out into the middle of the praries and start like our ancestors did. New immigrants actually shun even our smaller cities. That wont happen.

But you will get some migration out of the more expensve places into the nearby rural, say an hour from most majors or secondary cities. Most cities in Canada will eventually be ringed with a greater area like Toronto. The rest of the country, that open space in the Palliser is destined to be outback.

[Sheepwheat]

We need to be breeding! Splitting up our farms with multiple kids! Oh wait, our farms aren’t big enough to be feasible hardly for one kid. Lol

[AlbertaFarmer5]

We need to be breeding! Splitting up our farms with multiple kids! Oh wait, our farms aren’t big enough to be feasible hardly for one kid. Lol

I do believe that is the reason why our ancestors left the old country(s) to come here in the first place. After a few generations of splits, everyone had a postage stamp of land that couldn't even feed a family let alone have any surplus to sell.

[Guest]

The other thread is an extension of the way I think.

So ppl, how do we revitalize rural western Canada if we keep this goofy commodity agriculture mindset?

Ask grant devine
Govt could of saved millions having all these govt offices in small towns instead of big cities

[AlbertaFarmer5]

The repopulation of this area is astounding. In my head, I just counted almost 50 residences within less than a 2 mile radius of home. Many of those are quarter section farmers with other sources of income.

This area has strong beef, hay and grain sectors, some making a living from horses or arenas, a few commercial dairies, goats, chickens, pigs, sheep, llamas etc. There is both a private and a government fish farm nearby. Saskatoon farms, greenhouses, lots of illegal grow ops.
The forestry sector is big, although getting more mechanized and automated all the time, so less people.
Oil and Gas is still the biggest industry, in spite of the slow down.
No mining in the immediate area anymore, but plenty that commute to remote mines.
Fabrication, primarily for the oil and gas industry, but also for agriculture, and even for export.
Tourism is huge, being the gateway to the Rockies. A guest ranch right next door, world class fishing streams, ATV and horse trails close by, lakes, and rivers. Everyone who comes to the farm comments on what a gorgeous area it is.

All that, and still a much lower cost of living compared to cities.

Just need to get governments to quit placing impediments to growth industries, and the people will come to where the jobs are.

[Zephyr]

We have friends that crowdfunded to start a half acre mushroom farm.

They now sell high end designer fungi to restaurants in Calgary and area... six figure income from a half acre, with a $150,000 personal investment...


Where there's a will there's a way. Just can't have the defeatist crusty old farmer attitude so many of you display.


Think out of the box, be able to relate to the general public, be able to talk business - not ag - real business...


The business scape, and the social circle is awesome in Western Canada, the problem is it's too small... not enough people willing to think and work and learn that way anymore.

[jazz]

We have friends that crowdfunded to start a half acre mushroom farm.

You sort of highlighted one problem there zephyr, these guys had to use private funding. The banks are very leery about unestablished businesses.

we looked once at buying a gas station with carwash and hoops we had to jump through were unbelievable. The bank manager just said wouldn't you rather buy some more land?

I don't think the business climate is as good as you think it is.

[Zephyr]

You sort of highlighted one problem there zephyr, these guys had to use private funding. The banks are very leery about unestablished businesses.

we looked once at buying a gas station with carwash and hoops we had to jump through were unbelievable. The bank manager just said wouldn't you rather buy some more land?

I don't think the business climate is as good as you think it is.

I'm not sure that is a 'problem'..

Coming from the fact that we [our family unit] operate 4 separate commercial business entities in addition to the family farm, two of which operate internationally, I can speak from experience, but:


Banks almost never fund startups - anywhere.

Even in the USA...

That's what venture capital, private equity, angel investors, and crowd funding, plus government programs like IRC's IRAP are for.


Once you have a proven business, banks will finance you. This is how business works.


Farmers have a special relationship in certain ways with lenders... in that banks will lend to new producers.

This is good, but also bad depending on how you look at it.

[Sheepwheat]

I can vouch for new idea funding by banks, specifically fcc. It is simply impossible to get money for start ups in my experience, no matter projections, no matter equity position. They want results, they want proof.

[Sheepwheat]

FWIW, I personally have ideas on repopulating, but I don’t have answers, which is why I put the question out there. Interesting thoughts so far. Thanks.

[fjlip]

Where population is low and other business /employment are few, it is tough. A restaurant in Archerwill has been closed and for sale for two years. It is less than 10 years old and near hunting fishing lake area. You are in an ideal area AB5.

[malleefarmer]

You sort of highlighted one problem there zephyr, these guys had to use private funding. The banks are very leery about unestablished businesses.

we looked once at buying a gas station with carwash and hoops we had to jump through were unbelievable. The bank manager just said wouldn't you rather buy some more land?

I don't think the business climate is as good as you think it is.

Hindsight betcha the gas station would have been a great investment sadly fo you didn’t happen