The Truth About Farmland Values with Trent Klarenbach

In this episode, Evan sits down with Trent Klarenbach, Special Crops and Grain Marketing Analyst, to dig into one of the most emotionally charged and financially complex topics in agriculture: land. 

They unpack a century of Saskatchewan farmland values and debate whether a market correction is overdue. How farmers think, how they’ve evolved, and how the human desire to own land has stayed surprisingly constant, even as economics, policy, and risk have shifted dramatically over the decades.

Trent shares insights from his latest blog and video, and they reflect on how land has always felt unaffordable, no matter the era. Evan and Trent talk about how today’s producers are increasingly making land decisions with a business-first mindset, examining fundamentals like rent vs. cost to own, investment return, and the strength of farm balance sheets.

But even in this data-driven world, human psychology still plays a starring role. They explore what really motivates people to invest, what keeps farmland values climbing, and how history might offer a few warnings and a few lessons about what’s coming next. 

An interesting discussion from two different perspectives.