Saskatchewan moves Crown land leases to online auctions

Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture announced on October 28 that it is changing how agricultural Crown land is leased. Starting November 9, 2026, the province will offer those leases through online auctions run by McDougall Auctioneers Ltd., and new opportunities will be listed as they come up.

The change replaces the practice of offering leases in a single annual round. Under the new model, eligible Crown land goes up for bid whenever it becomes available. That includes leases that have expired, according to the ministry’s news release.

Postings will appear on two websites: saskatchewan.ca/crownlands and mcdougallauction.com. Anyone who wants to bid must meet eligibility requirements, which the release says are set out on saskatchewan.ca.

Agriculture Minister David Marit said producers depend on Crown land to run and expand their operations. He said an ongoing system makes the process more open and easier to use, and matches lease availability to what producers need. The release adds that the online format treats all agricultural producers equally.

The release does not say how many leases are affected, which land will be offered first, or how auction prices will be set. It also does not spell out the eligibility requirements. The province says it remains committed to keeping agricultural Crown land available to producers for farming.