I have two comments.
First, about your “eat local” comment, we're still an export-based industry. Our family produces 16 acres of greenhouse peppers. If it were all about eat local, that 16-acre greenhouse wouldn't be there: we have a market south of us that we're trying to supply. So I want to make sure that we also keep abreast of the scope of our industry as well.
I fired our bank this year on our line of credit and went to a credit union. Our bank came back to us and wanted more security for less line of credit at a higher interest rate.
I find that--locally, at least, in our area, and I would expect this through different parts of the province as well--the challenge of getting a line of credit is becoming more difficult. On long-term financing, it's easy; if you bought a farm five years ago for $5,000 an acre and it's worth $10,000 an acre now, you have another $5,000 of equity. So why wouldn't they lend it to you?
It's a scary thing; my dad has said he's never bought a cheap farm yet. And he bought some land back in the fifties that I think was pretty cheap, but.....
I'm not sure where the cost of land is going to crest, and I don't think anybody else here knows that either. It is a bit of an unnerving way to finance your business. Earlier on, someone mentioned the inflation of land prices and what it's done to our borrowing capacity.