New survey data shows around half of farms that have farmland rental agreements up for renewal this year are expecting rental rates to increase, with some anticipating a significant jump in the land rent component of their cost of production. Rising land rent costs are coinciding with the increasing cost of owning land, as borrowing... Read More

Unless you count volcanic eruptions out at sea (and we don't), every year there are fewer and fewer acres available for growing food, building houses, or setting aside for habitat. The decision of what should be built where or how land should be used is a complicated, complex, and controversial topic. In this episode of... Read More

There are many priorities that influence how land is used — the need for housing and economic development often drives the conversion of farmland and natural habitat into urban or suburban landscapes, but food security, productivity, biodiversity, crop or livestock prices, renewable energy policy, and of course, NIMBYism are among the many factors that can... Read More

Six of Canada's biggest business and industry associations, including the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA), have written a joint letter to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland asking her to scrap a proposed change to capital gains tax announced in the federal budget last month. In addition to the CCGA, the May 9th... Read More

Southwestern Ontario is home to some of Canada's most productive farmland. In recent years, land values have climbed to dizzying heights with competition for top acres driving sales for some farms into the $40,000-per-acre range. But some of the air was let out of the value balloon in 2023, says Ryan Parker from London, Ont.-... Read More

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) tracks changes in farmland values closely. This week, FCC published its Mid-Year Land Values report, and in it, puts overall average growth of Canadian farmland in the first six months of 2023 at 7.7 per cent. There were pullbacks in the rate of growth in some provinces — B.C., Ontario, and... Read More

Even as inflation continues to grow and increasing borrowing costs have put pressure on farm incomes, farmland values across Canada rose 7.7 per cent in the first half of 2023, according to Farm Credit Canada's Mid-Year Land Value report. Tight supply has continued to support land appreciation for now, says FCC chief economist J.P. Gervais.... Read More