“They Call it ‘Progress’”: The Consolidation, Financialization, and Deterritorialization of Saskatchewan Farmland By Melissa Davidson A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Environment and Geography University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Copyright © 2021 by Melissa Davidson ABSTRACT Across the province of Saskatchewan, where more than 40% of Canada’s agricultural land is located, patterns of farmland tenure are shifting and farmers claim that much is at stake. Based on both qualitative and quantitative research, this thesis analyzes two processes taking place in Saskatchewan: the ongoing consolidation of farmland and increasing financially- motivated farmland ownership. In addition to discussing the ways in which these shifts are transforming agriculture, the environment, and rural societies, this work provides insights into the locally-specific nature of these trends, the frameworks in which they are understood, and the grounds on which they are being accepted and facilitated by farmers. Situated within discussions of land and its meanings, I argue that as farmland is further consolidated and owned in greater proportions by absentee landowners and non-farmers, land is increasingly being oriented towards its productive and financial value, thereby displacing many of its social, cultural, and ecological meanings—what is commonly referred to as deterritorialization. Although treating land this way has allowed some Saskatchewan farmers to continue farming, farmland consolidation and increasing investor land ownership are pursued at the expense of the livelihoods of many farmers, the erosion of rural communities, and ecological degradation. Keywords: farmland, land ownership, land consolidation, financialization, deterritorialization, absentee land ownership, investor land ownership ii DEDICATION To my family and friends in Saskatchewan. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work has taken a village and I’d like to especially thank: My supervisor, Annette Desmarais, for inviting me onto this team of brilliantly caring and collaborative researchers and for ultimately giving me the opportunity to conduct research on a topic I care so deeply about in the part of the world I call home! Thank you for your endless support, thorough feedback, and for everything I’ve learned from you throughout this process. My co-supervisor, Jono Peyton, for your insightful comments and suggestions and for encouraging me to deeply consider “what is land?” My committee members, André Magnan and Bruce Erickson, for your guidance and thoughtful criticism. All of the research participants who graciously offered their time to make this work possible. Thank you for letting me into your homes, for all the cups of coffee, and for sharing your knowledge and experience with me. My family, for not asking me how writing is going and for keeping me grounded throughout this process. My friends and co-conspirators: Hannah, Kat, Laura, and Naomi. It was such a joy and privilege to explore these questions alongside you all. I am thankful for your friendship, support, and for our lengthy chats which helped me organize my ideas. My friends who kept me sane through the ups and downs of writing this thesis during Covid lockdowns. I am hesitant to name names, but thank you Taryn, James, Levi, Emily, Renee, Chelsey, Elliot, Emma, Arlene, Stephanie, Mitch, Liam, and Chloe. And a special shout-out to Wednesday Pub quizzers, Casual Tuesdays, bike club, and book club. And the University of Manitoba and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, for recognizing the importance of this work and correspondingly, financially-supporting it. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ iv LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ................................................................................. vii ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS .......................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Situating the Research ........................................................................................................... 2 Land Tenure, Farmland Consolidation, and the Financialization of Farmland ............................. 2 Land as Shifting Social Construct and Deterritorialization ............................................................. 6 Saskatchewan: Historical, Political, and Economic Context ........................................................... 9 1.2 Overview of Chapters.......................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Methodological Approach ................................................................................................... 13 2.2 Unit of Analysis and Selecting RMs ................................................................................... 14 2.3 Data Collection Strategies ................................................................................................... 17 2.4 Participants .......................................................................................................................... 19 2.5 Interviews ............................................................................................................................ 23 2.6 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 24 2.7 Additional Sources .............................................................................................................. 25 CHAPTER 3: FARMLAND CONSOLIDATION IN SASKATCHEWAN ..................... 26 3.1 Fewer, Larger, and “Second” Farms ................................................................................... 26 3.2 Gains and Losses ................................................................................................................. 36 3.3 The Unfortunate Inevitability of “Progress” ....................................................................... 45 3.4 Land as a Place for Agricultural Production ....................................................................... 48 CHAPTER 4: THE FINANCIALIZATION OF FARMLAND IN SASKATCHEWAN 51 4.1 Absence, Socio-Economic Detachment, and Financial Motivations: The Nature of Outside Farmland Ownership ................................................................................................................. 51 4.2 Investors, Small-scale Investors, and Grandkids: Key Outside Landowners ..................... 55 4.3 Gains and Losses ................................................................................................................. 60 v 4.4 Land as an Investment ......................................................................................................... 72 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ............................................................................................ 74 5.1 What we Know and What Remains to be Known ............................................................... 74 5.2 The High Cost of the Consolidation, Financialization, and Deterritorialization of Saskatchewan Farmland ............................................................................................................ 77 5.3 Final Thoughts: Re-imagining, Reclaiming, and Reterritorializing Farmland ................... 80 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................. 84 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................. 101 Appendix A Short Interview Guide with Farm Leaders and Farm Organization Staff, Rural Municipal Officials/Staff, Journalists ..................................................................................... 101 Appendix B Long Interview Guide (RM staff and officials) .................................................... 104 Appendix C Long Interview Guide with Farmers ................................................................... 107 vi LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Figure 1: RM Locations ................................................................................................................ 16 Figure 2: RM Demographics ........................................................................................................ 17 Figure 3: Farmer Interviews.......................................................................................................... 20 Figure 4: Number of Agricultural Operations, Saskatchewan, 1921-2016 .................................. 27 Figure 5: Farms Classified by Size: Historical Data, Saskatchewan ............................................ 29 Figure 6: Saskatchewan Farms by Size, 1996-2016 ..................................................................... 30 Figure 7: Individual Entities with More than 10,000 acres of Owned Farmland ......................... 33 Figure 8: Monette Farms Farm Sites Across Saskatchewan and Montana, USA ......................... 35 Figure