Why are some farmers turning old grain bins into guest houses?

Some Alberta cattlemen hope getting involved in tourism will help support their family farms for another generation — though the accommodations may seem a little quaint.

When Breanna Morrison bought five old grain bins for her farm in southern Alberta, she had no intention of using them for storing grain or any other crops.

He purchased them invisibly through an online auction and began a side project of converting each two-story metal box into a hotel room.

Saddle Hill Ranch Cabins opened in July with cabins nestled in a valley overlooking the Castle River on Morrison’s Ranch near Pincher Creek in southwestern Alberta. Each unit has a name, including “The Cattleman,” “The Trail Boss” and “The Wrangler.”

if you have seen yellowstone And dreaming of living on a farm with cows, converted grain bins can provide a taste of Canadian prairie life.

With two beds and one bathroom, they cost around $300 per night. According to Morrison, he was heavily booked throughout the summer.

“It’s the best we could have asked for, just getting started and opening, seeing how fast the word spread and how busy we’ve been so far,” said Morrison, who came up with the idea after seeing converted grain bins while visiting the United States as a rodeo competitor.

new farm revenue

Converting old grain bins into guest houses had its own challenges, including obtaining permits from the rural municipality for the unconventional venture

For Morrison, the project took several years to plan and then build. (They had only one child when they started the venture.) Installing windows, doors, and interior walls was difficult because of the rounded metal walls. Plumbing, heating and electrical work was necessary, in addition to installing proper utilities and services on the relatively remote location of the pasture land.

The purpose of the entire project is to help diversify the farm’s income and help ensure that her children will be interested and eventually able to take over the farm. Morrison and her husband now have three children under the age of four, including a baby born this summer.

The issue of succession has never been more pressing in the country as farmers are aging and the number of family farms declining.

Morrison is a third-generation cattle farmer, and says she wants her children to eventually take over the family farm. “It’s been really important to me,” he said.

“They may have other ideas for this place and want to continue it and make it their own, too, and grow on it. And I hope that can come with the legacy of this farm, too,” said Morrison, who, in addition to raising horses and cattle on the farm, works in agricultural banking.

Complications with inheritance

By 2033, 60 percent of farmers will be over the age of 65, representing one of the largest leadership transitions in the country’s history. rbc economics,

Furthermore, according to RBC Economics, the number of farmers in Canada has fallen from 346,000 in 2001 to 262,000 in 2021. statistics canada,

Andrea Gruza of farmland investor Bonfield Inc. estimates that about $300 billion worth of farmland will change hands over the next decade as aging farmers sell their property or pass it on to their children.

Succession in agriculture is a particular challenge because of the rising cost of agricultural land, volatility of income from year to year, and rural lifestyles that may be unattractive to younger generations.

The looming historic generational shift is “one of the most important issues in the agriculture industry right now,” according to University of Alberta professor Rebecca Purk-Stephenson, who has studied how farmers are dealing with the issue of succession planning.

Some people want to farm forever because it’s part of their identity after decades of working on a farm, she says, while rising land values ​​are adding a layer of complexity.

“As soon as you bring in a lot of money, it can make things more complicated for families,” she said.

Perks-Stephenson has begun her research to explore how agritourism can shape farming culture and help attract the next generation to farming. Some farmers see benefits in this, while others may consider it risky.

“For existing farm operators who have been farming their entire lives, this may be something that is quite foreign to their skill set – marketing, hospitality and education –,” he said.

keeping the farm viable

Succession was top of mind for Cindy Marr and her husband when they converted three grain barns on their beef farm near Waterton Lakes National Park in southwestern Alberta into a hotel last year.

A trio of guest houses called Twin Butte Silos were well booked from early this spring through this fall, drawing tourists from as far away as China, New Zealand and Germany.

“I grew up on a grain farm so I always liked the idea of ​​a granary,” Marr said.

Marr, 30, has two children and says she wants to help ensure the farm can be taken forward, as well as big enough for both of them to make a living with their family.

“Just another way to stay in this area and keep it viable.” Marr said.

Six generations of the family have been living on the land where more than 300 head of cattle now graze.

Marr’s daughter-in-law Peyton hopes to one day be a part of the family ranching business. Currently, she works as a legal assistant, while her husband is a power engineer.

According to 2021 data from Statistics Canada, nearly half of farmers in the country have a second job outside the farm.

“You’ll often hear people say there’s no money in ranching. It really depends, doesn’t it? It’s something that’s not constant all the time,” Peyton said, as she sat inside a grain bin gazebo with her 11-month-old daughter in her lap to access an outdoor lounge for guests.

“At best you can’t just be a cattle farmer,” he said. “The dream is to have a farm, but it doesn’t always work out that way.”