52/ JANUARY 2013 THE RIDER


Watch Out Developers!! Farmers Approaching.


By Teri Davidson.


ing farming.


a client who makes his liv-


He’s a youngish man and after a life of ups and downs he decided farming was his true passion. He made his way to acceptance at the University of Guelph and there after several years of study he was privileged and honored to receive a degree in Agriculture.


I have


just couldn’t hold on through bad times, couldn’t afford the big land prices as cities grew and developers bought up the old rural properties subdividing them and producing mass housing.


His final thesis was written on the concept of farm and land values in the future. He shared with me that some of his peers and professors scoffed at him but this is a brilliant young man and his prediction has come to culmination . Five years ago people never dreamed the average farmer would be able to buy lands on which he could grow crops and be able to afford to give the same price for those working lands as the developer could.


panies had pretty much driven the young , new, or small time farmer out of business. They


Up until just recently development com-


But the bigger farmers , the ones who had the means to withstand the hard times, the ones who’s holdings were long established and who had family members wanting to stay on the family farm and continue to work it as well as educate themselves on business, farm produc- tion and yields...those big guys have survived. And they are finally seeing the commodity market increase, can finally pay off some long outstanding debt and can buy up more farmland with their extra funds. And the best news and the most surprising change of all is they can afford to match the developer on land prices of farms being offered for sale.


The farm family today still have the same values and traditions their parents had and instilled in them. They are hardworking, busi- ness minded people who understand how to work with mother nature and most of the suc- cessful farmers I know are still big families all working together.


There are fewer and fewer farms available for sale and its also hard to finance a working farm. I recall someone asking me to send them all the farm listings adding into their request that I send only 10 at a time as to not bog down their computer with all the information. I told him not to panic as there were only three farms for sale at the time. He was flabbergasted..thought we’d have many, many farms being offered for sale.


This is a good thing. While its true we need land for people to build homes on small tracts of land where they ca live and raise their families, we also very much need to keep our prime agricultural lands in large parcels and undeveloped so we can continue to grow food to feed those families for today and generations to come.


Another factor which helps a working farmer purchase land is the severance and lot line adjustment regulations in different munici- palities. In Hamilton -Wentworth a full time farmer can purchase large pieces of land from a landowner who no longer wishes to work his land and add such land to his holdings while obtaining a severance in some instances of the sellers house from the workable lands which he can then sell separately to a hobby farmer or family wanting to have just a home on a small piece of land in the country.


The large farm operator need s these big tracts of property in order for him to stay viable.


Sell Your Property Here In The Rider!


Central Ontario


Hay was an amazingly profitable crop this year for a farmer to have for selling and corn, soya beans and other rotational crops were all up in value.


specific use for the equine and not cash crop. Most of these farms however were on land not suitable because of land size or quality of soil for the growing of crops and were priced lower when purchased originally than what cash crop farms were sold for.


I am anticipating a good spring and a good year overall in the farm selling and purchasing markets.


Unfortunately the horse farming business, especially those affiliated with the race indus- try, have experienced a down swing and most are way below anticipated revenue and profit. Breedings have dropped way down this year and this combined with hay prices and the uncertainty of the future for the race industry have all served to reduce farm values for farms without good arable land and those which are


Teri Davidson is Broker /Owner of Associate Realty Brantford Inc. and has been a licensed realtor for 36 years. Teri and her family also own and operate “White House Farms” in Ancaster, Ont. where they breed and raise Quarter Horses, Paints and King Sized Registered Long Haired German Shephard dogs. Contact Teri at teridavidson@rogers.com


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• Serving South Western Ontario • 30 Years Experience • International and local clientele


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Home Office: (519) 443-6443 or Cell (519) 757-5595 Fax: (519) 757-5595


Email: murray@murraygibbons.com Brant County


Teri Davidson Broker/Owner


Over 30 yrs full-time experience • Canada's Most Referred Realtor


Serving: Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk, Oxford, South Dumfries, North Dumfries, Ancaster, Flamborough, Cambridge and Woodstock.


Associate Realty Brantford Inc.


519-752-4116 • (519) 647-3330 teridavidson@execulink.com


Broker [tÜÇxáá|Çz VÉâÇàÜç _|ä|Çz YÉÜ lÉâ


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