Too Big to Farm

About this episode

The episode discusses the current state of farm debt in Western Canada with insights from key industry figures.

Robert Andjelic, Canada's largest private farmland owner, and Kevin Hursh, farm journalist and 2,500-acre operator, joined Dan Aberhart to examine what is actually happening in Western Canadian farm debt -- following a billion-dollar Prairie operation entering creditor protection and a wave of distressed farms quietly calling Robert to sell and rent back. The conversation held three threads: a real-time read on farm credit stress, an honest framework for thinking about farm size and scale, and a public debate on whether consolidation into large absentee ownership is good for the communities that carry the land. Dallas LeDuc, a fire chief from RM 44, made the case for absentee landlord taxation from the fire hall floor. Robert made the case that his decades of work with Toronto banks on agriculture's behalf benefits every producer in Canada. Neither man backed down.

People in this episode

Host: Dan Aberhart

Guests: Robert Andjelic, Kevin Hursh

Topics covered

• farm debt
• agriculture
• land ownership
• consolidation
• community impact

Keywords

• farm debt
• agriculture
• land ownership
• absentee landlord
• community impact

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Toronto banks

Places: Canada, Western Canada, RM 44

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