Ghosts on the Land

"I was thinking about the end of the family farm, in the classic sense, and the end of this paradise that people have in their memories of what life on the land once was..."

The ghosts of Canada's rural heritage that haunt the modern prairie are not alone. A new spectre, the global corporate culture, is waging an invisible battle for control of the land. As the family farm slips closer to oblivion, this documentary examines the crisis on Canadian farms through the stories of three Saskatchewan families - all of whom descended from original homesteaders working the land at the start of the 20th century. These farmers discuss the choices they've made to survive, whether that's meant selling off the family land or expanding massively only to watch the community wither as other families leave. Ghosts on the Land addresses the cultural and sociological consequences that accompany the death of the family farm.

With commentary from Jack Stabler (Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Saskatchewan), renowned Canadian writer and rancher Sharon Butala, and professor and former president of the National Farmers' Union Nettie Wiebe. 47 minutes. 2001