Crown Land Sale Program extended

Ranchers and farmers who are leasing crown land will get another year to buy the land at a 10 per cent discount. The 10 per cent discount was set to drop to 8 per cent at the end of 2009. The provincial government has now extended that to the end of 2010. For sales in 2011, an eight per cent discount will apply. For 2012, the discount will be six per cent and so on. The price tag for leased land is based on a land value report by the Ministry and/or an accredited appraisal. There are approximately seven million acres of agricultural crown lands in Saskatchewan. An estimated 1.5 million acres are eligible for sale. The program has been running a year and while there has been a lot of tire kicking, there has only been 110,000 acres sold to lessees. Ranchers and their organizations have asked for a program extension and the province has obliged. It’s too bad the cow-calf business is facing such poor returns. There are no doubt a lot of producers who would like to own some or all of their leased land. I’m Kevin Hursh.