Quebec farming organizations say the rising cost of land is making it harder than ever for young farmers to enter the business.

Benoît Curé, the co-ordinator of ARTERRE, a program that pairs aspiring farmers with landowners and farm operators who are planning to retire, says the price of agricultural land rose by about 10 per cent last year.

Curé says agricultural land in Quebec now sells for more than a farmer can hope to make from that land over their career. 

Myriam Landry, who has been raising goats for their meat in Saint-Esprit, Quebec, since 2018, says she was able to get her start by opening a small operation in a rented barn.

But she says it’s difficult to get financing for small operations, particularly ones with less common products, like goat meat. 

Quebec’s farmers association says around 10 per cent of farmers in the province are thinking about closing their farms this year because of rising costs.

(Canadian Press)