Alberta farmland values rise 5.3% in first half of 2026, FCC report says

Canadian cultivated farmland values rose 3.8 per cent in the first half of 2026 and 7.0 per cent year-over-year, with Alberta posting one of the stronger provincial gains, Farm Credit Canada said in a mid-year report dated Oct. 7.

Alberta's cultivated farmland values increased 5.3 per cent over the first six months and were up 9.4 per cent year-over-year, tying with Manitoba for second among provinces behind Prince Edward Island's 11.9 per cent gain.

The FCC report said Alberta has been the most resilient of the provinces recently, with growth sitting only 2.0 percentage points below its December 2025 peak of 11.4 per cent year-over-year.

In southern Alberta, dryland sales remained limited. Irrigation continued to influence land values and affect nearby dryland acres, the report said.

The North and Peace regions recorded more upward movement, while other regions in the province had limited transactions and held closer to previous value levels.

Nationally, growth eased from the 9.3 per cent gain recorded at the end of 2025. The report attributed the slower pace to rising production costs, including fuel and fertilizer, along with trade uncertainty and tighter margins making buyers more selective.

Quebec was up 6.2 per cent in the first half of the year, Nova Scotia 3.6 per cent, Saskatchewan 2.6 per cent, Ontario 2.4 per cent and New Brunswick 2.1 per cent. British Columbia was the only province to soften, falling 1.9 per cent.

The report, written by FCC senior analyst Megan Mailloux and senior economist Justin Shepherd, is a mid-year update. A full-year assessment is to follow in a spring 2027 report.