Farming In Canada

Here are some resources to help you with your journey.

This section has some great information about Farming in Canada. Simply click on the logos to access the websites. Remember if you have one question or a 100, give us a call. We don’t have all the answers, but we know the right people!

A little more about the area:

Prince Edward Island

This is a unique little island that has so much charm and character! Prince Edward Island has three main industries; farming, fishing and tourism. It is the smallest province in Canada and some of the great treasures are our gorgeous, red sandy beaches, world-class seafood, lots of golf courses, amazing cycling trails and it’s the birthplace of Canada! PEI has a charming island way of life. 

Nova Scotia

The province of Nova Scotia is famous for its rigid coastline, high rate of shipwrecks and its fishing, blueberry and apple industries. They are proud of their Celtic roots and are rich in musical talent. The name Nova Scotia originates for the Latin meaning “new Scotland”. 

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is noted for tourism, agriculture, forestry, mining and it’s growing service sector. A few fun facts; highest tides in the world, it’s the largest of the 3 Atlantic provinces, it’s Canada’s only bilingual province and N.B. has about 60 lighthouses and 55 wooden covered bridges. 

Regulations

Each province in Canada has its own guidelines when it comes to farming and owning land. Though our regulations are far more relaxed than some European countries, it’s important to understand what the rules are. 

https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/topic/agriculture

https://novascotia.ca/agri/

https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/10/agriculture.html

In PEI, any out of province buyer purchasing more than 5 acres of land or 165 feet of water frontage must submit an application to IRAC (Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission) for approval. The fee for this application is 1% of the Real Estate portion of a farm purchase (excluding any quota, machinery, inventory and cattle). We can recommend experienced lawyers to help you with this process.

http://www.irac.pe.ca/land


PEI,NB & NS also has a 1% land transfer tax that’s applied to any Real Estate purchases (excluding any quota, machinery, inventory and cattle), however your 1st home purchase is exempt up to $250,000.

Land

Farm land values in the Maritimes typically vary from $3,000-$10,000/acre, depending on the quality of the land, the size of the fields and the location. Every year Agricultural Lenders Farm Credit Canada publish a report called “Farmland Values Report”. This report will give you an idea of what land is selling for in a particular area.

Property Tax

Nova Scotia- There are no annual property tax charges on bare farm land in this province. Farm buildings are taxable.

Prince Edward Island- Property on PEI is taxed at 3 different rates depending on its use. The lowest rate is reserved for Farm Land owned by Bona Fide farmers.

New Brunswick- This province has a program called “FLIP”. The program provides for the deferral of provincial property taxes on eligible farmland and outbuildings to encourage the preservation of real property for agricultural use.

Click here to learn more about "FLIP".

Dairy Boards

PEI, NB and NS operate under a cooperative agreement with Ontario and Quebec called the “P5”. Many regulations are harmonized between the five provinces, including capping the value of quota at $24,000/KG. There are differences in each province you should take note of, particularly when it comes to leasing additional quota onto your farm and the Dairy New Entrant Program.


https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/en

https://www.dfpei.pe.ca


https://www.dfns.ca

https://www.nbmilk.org/en/

Dairy Processors

Three main processors process approximately 80% of the milk produced in Canada. PEI is somewhat unique in that the local processor ADL is a cooperative that is 100% owned by Dairy Farmers in Prince Edward Island. 

https://adl.ca