The average value of Alberta farmland increased 9.5 per cent in 2016, following gains of
11.6 per cent in 2015 and 8.8 per cent in 2014. Values in the province have continued to
climb since 1993.Despite an economy hurt by depressed oil and gas prices, Alberta reported the second highest average farmland values increase in Canada, eclipsed only by Prince Edward Island. The province’s 9.5 per cent average increase was largely buoyed by grain sector expansion in the north, as well as activity from non-traditional buyers in the south. While competition for available farmland also increased prices in other regions, farmland on the
outskirts of urban centres saw reduced prices due to the general economic downturn. Some adverse weather, as well as depressed oil and gas prices, placed downward pressure on farmland values, while large farm expansion and competition
between beef and grains sectors in some areas helped boost the value of marginal cultivated forage or pasture acres.
