Cash crop
Spirit River, Alberta

Listing Remarks

'Big Grass On 49' will be offered for sale by CLHbid.com by way of online electronic tender on Jul 8, 2025 from 9am-10am MDT in 1 Parcel. The price listed is the Starting Bid - see website for Updates & Details.
https://www.clhbid.com/auctions/big-grass-on-49/

‘Big Grass On 49’ is a complete half-section with a gradual slope down to paved Highway 49. Located 28 miles west of Spirit River, this half section sits at the center of the Peace Country—an area world-renowned for its grass seed production. The area comes with a legacy rooted deep in Canadian agriculture: creeping red fescue production, a crop that has helped define the Peace Region since the 1940s. It was the Harris family, some 45 miles due south of ‘Big Grass On 49’, who pioneered the first large-scale fescue operations in Western Canada. Their early success set off a seed boom, and by the 1960s, growers were seeing prices upwards of 27 cents per pound - a remarkable benchmark for its time.

What made it work then is what makes it work today: long daylight hours, often drier weather during bloom, and light-textured soils; conditions that give this half section its name of ‘Big Grass On 49’. Even today, the Peace Region remains one of Canada’s only strongholds for high-quality turf and reclamation seed production. And not just fescue—smooth bromegrass and timothy seed thrive here too, thanks to the area's natural drainage, winter hardiness, and soils that offer percolation without a layer of hardpan.

Parcel 1, the northernmost Parcel, boasts expansive views, excellent drainage, and a clean roadside dugout - ideal for hay, grain, or a return to fescue or other pedigreed seed production. It’s been seeded to an alfalfa/timothy mix and carefully maintained, ensuring structure and fertility.

Parcel 2 stands out with approximately 145 arable acres, 5 acres of bush ready for clearing, and only 10 acres removed for a subdivision. With $5,000/year in Surface Lease Revenue from CNRL, this Parcel offers cash flow from Day One, a rare edge in today’s farmland market. Highway frontage also means easy access and added visibility.

Whether you're a grain producer looking for land high in organic matter, a cattleman looking for hay in an area known for rain, or a seed grower seeking proven Peace Region soil and climate, ‘Big Grass On 49’ offers it all. The Peace Region’s fertile soils and pioneering spirit built Canada’s forage seed industry and ‘Big Grass On 49’ is your chance to be part of that continuing legacy. Land this versatile and this rich in story is rare.

‘Big Grass On 49’ is being offered for sale via online escalating tender by CLHbid.com. Please check the website for updates from time to time.