• • • Ag balance sheet points to stable farm economy
Canadian farmers saw their farm equity climb almost seven per cent last year compared to the year before — and Farm Credit Canada’s principal agricultural economist said that falls in line with FCC’s analysis. Data released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday showed 2017 farm equity climbed to $535.3 billion, up $34.6 billion from $500.75 billion in 2016. While he projected a slowdown in growth, he said farm asset values will continue to appreciate.
According to the StatsCan report, farm asset value rose 6.9 per cent compared to the year previous, to $632.2 billion nationwide in 2017, mostly due to higher farmland values. Farm real estate climbed by 7.8 per cent to $480.1 billion and now accounts for more than three-quarters of total farm asset value. A recent FCC report showed farmland values rising by 8.4 per cent, so the two reports taken together indicate that investors are seeing opportunities, Klemmer said.