Alberta Farmland Prices: Per-Acre Values by Province

Alberta farmland prices averaged C$4,367 per acre for farm land and buildings at July 1, 2025, according to Statistics Canada, up 8.5% in a year and about double the 2015 figure. Farm Credit Canada (FCC) measures cultivated land sales a different way and put Alberta’s gain at 11.4% for 2025, then 9.4% for the 12 months to June 2026.

This page gives dollars per acre for every province, the newest FCC changes, a comparison with US border states, and a calculator that tests whether a purchase price pays at your own margin. All prices are averages published by these agencies, not asking prices from listings.

Alberta farmland prices at a glance

• Average value: C$4,367 per acre, land and buildings, July 1, 2025 (Statistics Canada).
• Latest pace: up 5.3% in the first half of 2026 and 9.4% over 12 months (FCC, October 2026).
• Irrigated land: about C$20,000 per acre, based on FCC’s report as covered by Alberta Farmer Express (March 2026).
• Southern dryland: up 16.4% in 2025, helped by nearby irrigation expansion (same report).
• Foreign buyers: non-residents are generally limited to 20 acres (Blakes law firm summary, February 2024).

These figures describe averages. A single quarter section can sell far above or below them because of soil class, water rights, buildings and who else wants to farm that block.

Farmland price per acre by province

Statistics Canada’s Table 32-10-0047-01 is the only series here that gives one dollar figure for each province. It values all farm land and buildings at July 1, including pasture, so it reads lower than cultivated land prices in ranching provinces.

On this measure Saskatchewan is the cheapest province for farmland and Ontario the most expensive. Alberta sits below the national average of C$5,643, and its figure includes pasture as well as crop land.

At those averages, 1,000 acres in Alberta would be worth about C$4.4 million, and a 160-acre quarter section about C$700,000. Treat that as a rough scale only, since the average mixes grazing land, crop land and yards.

Why two agencies give different answers

FCC says British Columbia has the highest farmland values on average, while Statistics Canada shows Ontario on top. Both can be right, because they measure different things.

Use one basis at a time. Applying an FCC percentage to a Statistics Canada dollar figure mixes two different land bases. For cultivated land, FCC’s own national average was C$6,900 per acre in 2025, about 22% above the Statistics Canada figure. Its Farmland Values Report page holds a regional map with values by area.

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Value per acre of farm land and buildings

C$ per acre at July 1, 2025; eight provinces shown, the rest are in the table above

How Alberta land values have moved

Over ten years Alberta’s value per acre rose from C$2,185 to C$4,367. Manitoba and Saskatchewan rose faster from lower starting points, and Manitoba now sits only C$201 below Alberta.

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Prairie farm land values over ten years

C$ per acre of land and buildings at July 1, selected years

Within Alberta, 2025 gains were uneven. FCC data reported by The Western Producer showed southern dryland up 16.4%, and pasture in the Peace region and northern BC up 17 to 18%. Its 2025 mid-year update said irrigated land keeps setting new benchmarks in the south and pulls up nearby dryland, while land auctions in the Peace widen the pool of bidders.

Alberta Farmer Express reported irrigated land at about C$20,000 per acre across the province. Check water licence terms and district rules for any irrigated parcel, as the water is a large part of what you are paying for.

What the newest mid-year data shows

FCC’s 2026 mid-year report, dated October 7, 2026, shows cultivated values up 3.8% nationally in six months and 7.0% over 12 months. Alberta gained 5.3% and 9.4%. FCC reports more upward movement in the North and Peace regions, where there was stronger sales evidence. Other regions had few sales and held closer to earlier values, and southern dryland sales stayed limited.

FCC calls Alberta the most resilient province lately, with 12-month growth only 2.0 percentage points below its peak.

Every province: latest FCC changes

FCC had too few reported sales to assess Newfoundland and Labrador or the territories. Its national five-year average gain is 9.5% and its ten-year average is 8.6%, so the 7.0% pace to June 2026 sits below both.

Manitoba farmland prices

Manitoba led Canada in 2025 at +12.2%, and its peak 12-month rate of 14.4% came in June 2025. The pace has since cooled to 6.0%. FCC names the Parkland and Westman regions as the strongest, with demand strong and few parcels for sale. FCC’s 2025 mid-year update said large grain operations in Parkland were adding land. The Statistics Canada average reached C$4,166 per acre in July 2025.

Saskatchewan: the lowest average

Saskatchewan averages C$2,943 per acre on the Statistics Canada basis. Cheap is relative, though. The Western Producer reported northeastern cropland nearing C$5,000 per acre, up from about C$2,000 in 2019, and west-central values up 4.8% against about 12% in the northern and east-central regions in 2025. In the first half of 2026, however, FCC reported West Central as the province’s strongest region.

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Full-year 2025 against the 12 months to June 2026

Percent change in cultivated farmland values; eight provinces, Nova Scotia is in the table above

What is driving prices

• Little land for sale. FCC’s Canada release lists limited supply among the main supports, alongside long-term confidence, lower borrowing costs and strong livestock prices.
• Cattle. Record cattle prices pushed cattle receipts up 18.3% in the first half of 2025 (FCC), and feedlot expansion added demand for land in southern Alberta.
• Past margins. FCC links land values to grain and oilseed margins from the season before. Strong 2021 to 2023 margins left some buyers with solid balance sheets.
• Interest rates. The Bank of Canada raised its target rate by 0.25 points to 2.50% on October 28, 2026, after holding at 2.25% earlier in the year. Lower borrowing costs helped in 2025, so that support is worth watching.
• Higher costs and trade uncertainty. FCC’s 2026 report cites fuel and fertilizer costs plus trade uncertainty.

FCC economists wrote in April 2026 that cultivated value growth should slow this year, which is what the mid-year numbers then showed.

Can the land pay for itself?

This is where rising values start to bite. FCC calculates that payments on owned cultivated land reached 39% of Canadian grain and oilseed receipts in 2025, the highest since 2000 and above the US figure of 33%. Newly bought land cost an average of C$367 per acre a year on FCC’s method. Those figures use FCC’s assumptions, so your own loan terms will differ.

Renting costs less in the short run. FCC’s rent-to-price ratio fell to 2.35% nationally in 2025, from 2.70% in 2020, and most provinces sit between 2% and 3%. At that ratio, land worth C$5,000 would rent for about C$118 per acre a year. FCC also reports that Alberta’s cash flow advantage of renting over buying has grown by C$87 per acre since 2021. A renter, though, gets none of the gain in land value.

How Alberta compares with US land

USDA’s Land Values 2026 Summary puts US farm real estate at US$4,500 per acre, up 3.4% from 2025, with cropland at US$6,020 and pasture at US$2,000. The American Farm Bureau Federation notes this was the slowest gain of the upswing that began in 2021. US cropland cash rent averaged US$160 per acre in 2026.

Border states are the fairer yardstick. Montana averages US$1,260 and North Dakota US$2,450, while Minnesota reaches US$6,950. USDA’s state-by-state farm real estate value chart for 2025 shows the wider pattern. Statistics Canada’s series is the closest match to USDA’s farm real estate measure, as both include land and buildings, but dates differ and you must convert the currency.

For cultivated land, FCC compared both countries in Canadian dollars: C$6,900 per acre in Canada against C$8,150 in the US for 2025. On this crop-acre weighted series, Canadian values grew 8.7% a year on average over the last decade, against 5.6% in the US.

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US farm real estate near the Canadian border

US$ per acre of land and buildings, 2026; selected states and the US average

Who can buy farmland in Alberta

Rules differ by province, and they can decide a deal before price does. This summary draws on a February 2024 Blakes bulletin and the National Farmers Union.

This is a summary, not legal advice. Check the current law and speak to a lawyer in that province before you make an offer.

Test a purchase price

Enter a parcel’s price, your loan terms and your own margin. The calculator shows what is left per acre after the land payment, plus the total price, the rent that would match FCC’s national ratio, and the price in US dollars.

Try the numbers for your own farm below.

How to check a parcel before you bid

1. Start with the province. Compare the last two FCC figures in the table above. A six-month rate below about half the 12-month rate suggests slowing.
2. Find the local number. Use FCC’s regional map, recent sale records and a local appraiser. Listing prices are asks, not results.
3. Run the payment. Use your own margin, not the best year you remember. Test a higher interest rate too.
4. Check the land’s record. Ask for yield history, soil tests and water licences. Look at several seasons of satellite imagery to see which zones lag every year.
5. Get advice. Ask an accountant and a lawyer about tax, title, easements and ownership rules.

Farmonaut’s satellite monitoring can show vegetation trends across a field over time, which helps you ask better questions of a seller. It does not explain the cause of a weak zone, so walk the land and dig some soil pits as well.

▶ A full walkthrough of satellite crop monitoring, including how to read NDVI for a field. · 19:36

Options for new farmers and investors

Higher prices change which route makes sense for a new entrant. Leasing keeps capital available and still secures acres. Higher-value production, such as direct-to-consumer livestock or specialty grains, may earn more per acre, though it also takes more marketing work and often more capital. FCC offers a Transition Loan aimed at young farmers and others entering the sector.

For owners, a clear record of soil tests, water use and yields gives a future buyer or lender more to work with. Past gains do not promise future returns. British Columbia’s recent fall shows that values can decline, even in a long national upswing. Get professional financial advice before treating land as an investment.

▶ Six plain steps to start precision farming on land you already work. · 4:18

FAQ

How much does an acre of farmland cost in Alberta?

The Statistics Canada average was C$4,367 per acre at July 1, 2025, including buildings and pasture. Irrigated land averages about C$20,000 per acre (FCC, reported March 2026), so ask for local sales of the same land type.

Where is the cheapest farmland in Canada?

Saskatchewan has the lowest provincial average at C$2,943 per acre (Statistics Canada, July 2025). Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Alberta come next, all between about C$4,100 and C$4,400.

What is the agriculture land price in Canada per acre?

C$5,643 for all farm land and buildings (Statistics Canada, July 2025), or C$6,900 for cultivated land (FCC, 2025). Each figure has its own basis, so compare like with like.

How much is 1,000 acres of farmland worth?

At provincial averages, from about C$2.9 million in Saskatchewan to C$21 million in Ontario, with Alberta near C$4.4 million. Real values depend on land type and location.

Are land prices going up or down?

Up in most of Canada, but slower. FCC reported 7.0% over the 12 months to June 2026, down from 9.3% in 2025. British Columbia was the only province to fall.

Can an American buy farmland in Alberta?

Non-residents are generally limited to 20 acres in Alberta, with some exceptions. Ontario has no specific restriction. Rules change, so check with a provincial lawyer.

Bottom line

Alberta’s C$4,367 average is a starting point. The price you meet depends on whether the parcel is irrigated, dryland or pasture, and on the region. Growth has stayed stronger there than in most provinces, but national growth is slowing and land payments already take their highest share of grain receipts since 2000. Test any price against your own margin first.

Related pages on our site: farm credit options, agricultural land investment, sustainable land management, agricultural policy, precision livestock farming, agricultural land listings, satellite data API, developer documentation.