canada

[Baling Hay]

Ha Ha, I think @Blaithin could have a new advisory career; I have been asking a few questions too. I am lucky enough to have already a Canadian passport (because my parents were born there) but I am too old to go there and farm. My reason for renewed interest is partly because of what the UK will become if we don't Brexit. It has been stated that because of our low birth rate meaning that our population is already in irreversible decline it means that by 2050, or before, this will be a Muslim country.
I sincerely hope the politicians do not mess up; I feel that they will be watched like hawks now and any attempt to avoid Brexit will not be allowed to happen, people are much too awake now.
However Canada for me could be a place to spend semi retirement perhaps.
As has been said winters could be a big problem I can remember my mother telling us that every day before walking to school it was drummed into her never to stop and sit down especially if sleepy. Some kids that did that froze to death. I know that dry cold is a lot easier to take than our wet winters. It's the seven months of feeding out silage in the rain and mud that I would not miss.

WHat difference will Brexit make to the Muslim population?

 

[CJ Hall]

I have had a desire to move to Canada for years, I have been to Ontario twice and loved it, know quite a few families that moved from northern Ireland to farm there and they all seemed to be doing well I hope to go back next year for a long holiday and visit alberta to see what it is like as well and maybe prince Edward island too

 

[BenB]

I lived in Brandon, Manitoba for 2 years before returning last September.

Loved the place and experience but it wasn't a place for me to settle in at the time. Never rule out the possibility of returning one day. From time to time I think of something that was better there...it's a very dangerous game, the grass always seems greener!

 

[Pasty]

What does half a mil buy in Canada? 100 flat acres that doesn't flood plus 500 of forest? Or less of forest. Just a lot of forest? Don't mind hard winters as long as I have plentiful wood. 50ac of flat land and 100ac forest? Peace and quiet? What's the deal Canadians? I have plenty of relatives-in-law out there somewhere.

 

[jellybean]

WHat difference will Brexit make to the Muslim population?

Sorry I didn't write that very well. I was not linking the rise of the muslim population with Brexit, it is a completely separate issue. I also don't necessarily believe it is inevitable just because experts in population dynamics tell us that is what will happen. What I had meant to say was that if Brexit did not get carried through that might be one reason for me to move; a predominantly Muslim population might be another. Even just to go for a complete change could be a good enough reason.

 

[Bobthebuilder]

My brother been over there more than 10yrs now, when he first went over got 1 of dads cousins to "sponsor" him but had already been out a couple of times on a holiday and had a job lined up driving livestock trucks ( what he did over here) baught a house and 2nd hand pickup in stienbech Manitoba, when foot n mouth hit the livestock movements slowed up a lot and the company he worked for was struggling, the owner drivers got jobs pulling other people's trailers, so when the transport manager got head hunted by another company he asked my brother and another lad if they fancied getting their own units and he'd give them work pulling his trailers, so he baught a 2nd hand Volvo FL12 and started work for them, inside 5years he's baught a brand new FL12 and a brand new dodge 4L pickup and moved house also he is classed as a Canadian citizen now, he carted pretty much everything to do with eggs apart from the chicken all over the place

 

[Bobthebuilder]

Got relatives from Manitoba right up through Calgary,Alberta to Victoria island Vancouver was over there in 91 for a month, drove from Calgary to Vancouver up through the Rockies and back for the stampede absolutely fantastic, great easy going people and fabulous country side, just wish I could afford to up sticks and head over for good myself

 

[Swedish Taffy]

Sorry to chip in on this thread guys,
I returned back to the uk form Red Deer, Alberta last year after going out in 2014 to work out there in agriculture and I have to say that if i could have just one wish, it would be to have done it 10yrs ago!! Was an amazing place to be and i have never felt so far away from home but also at the same time, it felt like i was meant to be there and stay. Am back home now in west wales but i have been thinking this last year long and hard about it and am going to make the move in another year or two. There was something quite nice about how friendly the Albertans were and how welcoming they are!! The farming side is on a much grander scale compared to most over here but yet they seem to be somewhat laidback about everything.
Can't say i found it to be an expensive place to live but i guess like anywhere in the world, its what you make it!!

 

[Blaithin]

Sorry to chip in on this thread guys,
I returned back to the uk form Red Deer, Alberta last year after going out in 2014 to work out there in agriculture and I have to say that if i could have just one wish, it would be to have done it 10yrs ago!! Was an amazing place to be and i have never felt so far away from home but also at the same time, it felt like i was meant to be there and stay. Am back home now in west wales but i have been thinking this last year long and hard about it and am going to make the move in another year or two. There was something quite nice about how friendly the Albertans were and how welcoming they are!! The farming side is on a much grander scale compared to most over here but yet they seem to be somewhat laidback about everything.
Can't say i found it to be an expensive place to live but i guess like anywhere in the world, its what you make it!!

That's because Red Deer is the place to be

 

[multi power]

What does half a mil buy in Canada? 100 flat acres that doesn't flood plus 500 of forest? Or less of forest. Just a lot of forest? Don't mind hard winters as long as I have plentiful wood. 50ac of flat land and 100ac forest? Peace and quiet? What's the deal Canadians? I have plenty of relatives-in-law out there somewhere.

Pretty much anything from 250 to 1200 acres depending on location
and 1200 acres might not carry much more stock than 200 acres

 

[Blaithin]

Wouldn't matter if 1200 acres carried more, you'd either need the same amount of land again for winter feed or buy it all in. Gotta be prepared to feed up to 8 months of the year.

You don't get two cuts of silage most of the time. If you're lucky you can get three cuts of hay. Grazing regrowth or swath grazing it is an option some times, if you're set up for it.

But yes, half a mil could get you pretty much as much as you wanted although not necessarily where you wanted or what kind/quality you wanted.

 

[Swedish Taffy]

That's because Red Deer is the place to be

That's definitely true!!! Its an awesome place and i miss it more than i thought i ever would!!
Had a few great nights in billy bobs!! lol.
But overall i would love to farm myself out there, somewhere around red deer or just between Bowden or sunder.

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Pretty much like anything really. You get what you pay for. Not something you would want to rush. Highly suggest if you find an area you "like", that you get work there first so as you can experience a full 12 months of the weather and get a chance to see what can be produced in a year. Would also let you pick up some local tips as opposed to making mistakes based on your past farming experience which may well be completely irrelivent to a different country.

 

[Blaithin]

That's definitely true!!! Its an awesome place and i miss it more than i thought i ever would!!
Had a few great nights in billy bobs!! lol.
But overall i would love to farm myself out there, somewhere around red deer or just between Bowden or sunder.

Bouncers at Billy Bobs took my bottle of canola oil one time

West of the highway is much nicer. More trees

They're putting up a big grain terminal at Bowden. Another's supposed to go up by Innisfail. Be s good time to be a grain farmer in the area!

 

[Bobthebuilder]

That's because Red Deer is the place to be

Got some distant family there somewhere also around Hinton and kamloops

 

[Bobthebuilder]

Had a bit of fun with the waitress in bumpers in Banff when I was there, ordered the man mountain steak, polished it off no problem then went for the super nut sundae for pudding, she just gave me that smile and look of I'll sicken you now !!! When it came there was 7 different flavours of ice cream, nuts, cream and sauce in what would be better suited to a goldfish [emoji47] but I couldn't let her get the better of me so I finished that aswell, needless to say I needed to go for a lay down after [emoji6]

 

[Swedish Taffy]

Bouncers at Billy Bobs took my bottle of canola oil one time

West of the highway is much nicer. More trees

They're putting up a big grain terminal at Bowden. Another's supposed to go up by Innisfail. Be s good time to be a grain farmer in the area!

Yeah i think the bouncers there went on a bit of a power trip some weekends.

I heard something about the grain terminals but some locals in innisfail said it'd never happen!!
Sounds like they were wrong!!!
I will have to look at returning maybe sooner than i thought to see what there would be opportunity wise then.
As i'm a mechanic i would probably start that route and build a farm up from an acreage upto a decent section.

 

[Blaithin]

Yeah i think the bouncers there went on a bit of a power trip some weekends.

I heard something about the grain terminals but some locals in innisfail said it'd never happen!!
Sounds like they were wrong!!!
I will have to look at returning maybe sooner than i thought to see what there would be opportunity wise then.
As i'm a mechanic i would probably start that route and build a farm up from an acreage upto a decent section.

The one in Innisfail was going to be the first of four out up in AB and SK by the company that owns Canada Malt. But they've decided to do one of the other three first instead. I've heard nothing concrete about it being cancelled for sure though. It was due to be running by harvest of 2017 with a loop track and a capacity of 40,000 tonnes.

The one in Bowden is a Patterson elevator. Just finished all the red tape stuff and should be breaking ground soon. Due to start fall of 2017 as well, with a loop track capable of loading a train in 7 hours and a capacity of 55,000 tonnes.

My little elevator might be getting quiet once those two cut off the north!

 

[roger wilkinson]

We have grain farmed east of Winnipeg for 16yrs,winter is cold but very dry so I find it more comfortable than the Uk. Summer flooding can be an occasional problem as it's flat heavy land.
Land is about £1600/acre, I reckon it takes 3acres here to do the same as 1acre in the Uk. Pension can be transferred here but level will be frozen at your leaving date, will also depend on your contributions. If you have assets in the Uk to sell you may still be able to reinvest in Canada tax free.
As previously mentioned there's not much tourism here, agriculture is a large part of the Manitoba economy, most people are very friendly and have a good understanding of farming

 

[jamesy89]

My wife, son and I are also looking to move to Canada. I need to be sponsored by an employer on an LMIA visa. I've been talking with a nice lady from Moveover recruitment who I hope will set me up with a job which will allow us to move there. All of this subject to a long fact finding holiday in November