Diane Coombs calls it the most amazing place in the world. To her, it’s the land of opportunity.
Friendly people, fertile soil, water, trees and grass.
She and her husband Dick found all of those things in Saskatchewan during a visit to the province five years ago. They were so struck by what they saw that they immediately decided it was where they wanted to live.
“We were here for three days and bought a place,” she said, describing their decision to sell their ranch in northern British Columbia and move to Wroxton, Sask. “We were just so impressed with what was here.
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“We brought all of our machinery and all of our cattle. We just picked up everything there and moved out here.”
They bought four quarters of grain land near Wroxton and converted it into hay and pasture. They have since expanded their farm, and now own eight quarters of land while leasing an additional four quarters.
“I hate to say this, but we feel more at home in Saskatchewan than we ever did in B.C.,” said Diane. “We’ve been here five years and this is the most amazing place in the whole world.”
The Coombs are among the many people continuing to find opportunities in the vastness of Saskatchewan. Over the past three years, close to 700,000 acres of Saskatchewan farmland have been bought by people from other provinces, mainly Alberta and B.C.
“It’s all dollars and cents,” said Bob Lane, owner of Lane Realty Corp., a company established in the business of farmland sales. “There’s good opportunity for them here.”
Last year, there were close to 1,500 transactions involving people from other provinces buying farmland in Saskatchewan.
The number was even higher the year before, according to information from the province’s Farm Land Security Board.
“Without them, this place would have maybe blown away in the wind,” Lane said, noting that many Saskatchewan producers already farm more land than they can handle.
“You have to thank them for spending money here,” he said. “It’s keeping the net worth up of all the massive number of people who are retiring and are of a good age.”
Alberta ranchers are among those seeing opportunity in Saskatchewan. Land is generally more affordable in Saskatchewan, attracting the attention of ranchers wanting to expand.
“It’s a combination of people buying but staying in Alberta, and those buying and moving to Saskatchewan,” said Dan Patterson, general manager of Saskatchewan Farm Security Programs.
“It’s a significant factor and has had a real impact on land values.”
The interest is not confined to ranch land, however. Lane said people are moving to Saskatchewan to buy everything from grain and cattle farms to poultry and dairy operations.
Although she can talk at length about the farming opportunities in Saskatchewan, Diane Coombs also values the friendly and down-to-earth nature of the people in her community. It was their welcoming attitude that added to her desire to move from B.C.
“They accept you for who you are, not what you have or what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter if have a million dollars in the bank or if you’re a million dollars in debt. They all treat you the same.”
