SNAPSHOT OF FARMLAND VALUES Parker, a London-area cow-calf farmer and real estate appraiser with Valco Consultants, produces an annual farmland values report covering 11 counties in southwestern Ontario: Huron, Perth, Oxford, Middlesex, Lambton, Chatham-Kent, Essex, Bruce, Grey, and Wellington. The report includes farmland not containing infrastructure, other aboveground improvements, or land likely to be considered for immediate urban or industrial development. At the 2025 Southwest Agriculture Conference, data from the preliminary 2024 report (since released publicly) was discussed. In 2010, the mean per-acre value of all 11 counties was under $6,000. In 2024, Parker says that number has risen to “just a hair under $26,000.” The latter number may seem low for those operating in high-quality soils and dairy-heavy regions, but for other areas, $26,000 per acre is a very high value. Variation between each county, and even within the counties themselves, is significant. Perth and Oxford took the top spots—something Parker says each has done for decades—at around $36,000 and $37,000 per acre. Essex and Bruce took the bottom spots at around $19,000. More interestingly, Parker notes we now “live in a world, somehow, where Grey County’s land values are higher than Bruce, Essex, and Kent.” Matt McIntosh Why land prices rise The impact of competition and shrinking supply Ontario farmland values have risen dramatically in recent years. According to analysts Ryan Parker and Drew Crinklaw, per acre price trends result from a combination of factors—but while commodity prices, interest rates and competition within the farming community remain key drivers, other more complex pressures are also at play. ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER INDUSTRY NEWS 24
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