The number of farms fell in every province in Canada except Alberta and Quebec, according to Statistics Canada’s 2021 agricultural census, and Alberta was tops in total revenues and expenses, accounting for a quarter of the nation's farming receipts..Alberta had 41,505 registered farms in 2020, up from 40,638 in 2015 while Quebec had 29,380 compared to 28,919 in the same period. Ontario still had the most overall, at 48,346, but was down from 49,600 in 2016. Saskatchewan came in third at roughly 34,000 but had the distinction of contributing the most to the nations gross domestic product, at just under 11%..Overall, the number of farms in Canada fell about 2% while the amount of acreage was down 3%..The lower numbers nationwide are due to StatsCan’s definition of what a farm actually is, which was revised for the current dataset. In 2015 it was defined as an agricultural enterprise producing at least one agricultural product intended for sale — which would qualify some folks’ backyard gardens. For the 2021 report it was narrowed to those who report sales and pay taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency..On that front, Alberta led the country by far in terms of annual operating revenues, at $22.2 billion. StasCan said this was more than any other province and accounted for over a quarter (25.5%) of Canada’s $87 billion in total farm revenues. .In 2020 4% of farms in the province accounted for 61.7% of the cash harvest. And despite a higher proportion of beef and cattle operations, canola brought in the most revenue at $9 billion. Beef accounted for about 38% of farm revenues compared to just 15% in the rest of the country. .Beef also had the highest farm expenses in Alberta, at slightly more than $8 billion. As was the case with farm operating revenues, Alberta also reported the highest farm operating expenses in 2020 with $19 billion in expenses, overall..Meanwhile in Quebec it was “other” (which includes Christmas trees and maple syrup among others) and not surprisingly, dairy farming. Also not surprising, Prince Edward Island was tops in potatoes; British Columbia led in greenhouse stock and mushrooms; while Nova Scotia was tops in mink farming. New Brunswick, not Quebec, led in maple syrup. .Numbers for the NWT and Yukon were disclosed separately but StatsCan noted they consisted mostly of smaller specialty operations..Manitoba had the highest proportion of farm operators under the age of 35. Nearly a third — 28% — were women. Nationwide, the number of female farm operators rose about 2% for the first time in 30 years. Nonetheless, two thirds of farmers in Canada — almost 160,000, or 62% — were males over the age of 55..Other notable tidbits from the census data: In 2021 8.7% of farms in Alberta reported solar energy production, up from 4.3% in the previous census. By comparison, 7.7% of farms in Canada reported solar energy production..Canadian farmers sold more products directly to consumers — in 2020 13.6% of farms in Canada reported direct sales, up from 12.7% of farms in 2015. StatsCan speculated its a longer term trend driven in part by the pandemic. Direct sales consisted mostly of eggs, fruits and veggies and products such as honey..Compared to other countries, Canada had the largest average farm size at 800 acres compared to 400 acres in the US and just 10 acres in Japan. Despite having the second largest land mass in the world, Canada had the smallest percentage devoted to agriculture. .Census data showed that Canada reported 189,874 farms and 153.7 million acres of total farm area. By comparison, the United States had 2,012,050 farms and 895.3 million acres and the United Kingdom had 219,000 farms and 46.0 million acres under tillage.
The number of farms fell in every province in Canada except Alberta and Quebec, according to Statistics Canada’s 2021 agricultural census, and Alberta was tops in total revenues and expenses, accounting for a quarter of the nation's farming receipts..Alberta had 41,505 registered farms in 2020, up from 40,638 in 2015 while Quebec had 29,380 compared to 28,919 in the same period. Ontario still had the most overall, at 48,346, but was down from 49,600 in 2016. Saskatchewan came in third at roughly 34,000 but had the distinction of contributing the most to the nations gross domestic product, at just under 11%..Overall, the number of farms in Canada fell about 2% while the amount of acreage was down 3%..The lower numbers nationwide are due to StatsCan’s definition of what a farm actually is, which was revised for the current dataset. In 2015 it was defined as an agricultural enterprise producing at least one agricultural product intended for sale — which would qualify some folks’ backyard gardens. For the 2021 report it was narrowed to those who report sales and pay taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency..On that front, Alberta led the country by far in terms of annual operating revenues, at $22.2 billion. StasCan said this was more than any other province and accounted for over a quarter (25.5%) of Canada’s $87 billion in total farm revenues. .In 2020 4% of farms in the province accounted for 61.7% of the cash harvest. And despite a higher proportion of beef and cattle operations, canola brought in the most revenue at $9 billion. Beef accounted for about 38% of farm revenues compared to just 15% in the rest of the country. .Beef also had the highest farm expenses in Alberta, at slightly more than $8 billion. As was the case with farm operating revenues, Alberta also reported the highest farm operating expenses in 2020 with $19 billion in expenses, overall..Meanwhile in Quebec it was “other” (which includes Christmas trees and maple syrup among others) and not surprisingly, dairy farming. Also not surprising, Prince Edward Island was tops in potatoes; British Columbia led in greenhouse stock and mushrooms; while Nova Scotia was tops in mink farming. New Brunswick, not Quebec, led in maple syrup. .Numbers for the NWT and Yukon were disclosed separately but StatsCan noted they consisted mostly of smaller specialty operations..Manitoba had the highest proportion of farm operators under the age of 35. Nearly a third — 28% — were women. Nationwide, the number of female farm operators rose about 2% for the first time in 30 years. Nonetheless, two thirds of farmers in Canada — almost 160,000, or 62% — were males over the age of 55..Other notable tidbits from the census data: In 2021 8.7% of farms in Alberta reported solar energy production, up from 4.3% in the previous census. By comparison, 7.7% of farms in Canada reported solar energy production..Canadian farmers sold more products directly to consumers — in 2020 13.6% of farms in Canada reported direct sales, up from 12.7% of farms in 2015. StatsCan speculated its a longer term trend driven in part by the pandemic. Direct sales consisted mostly of eggs, fruits and veggies and products such as honey..Compared to other countries, Canada had the largest average farm size at 800 acres compared to 400 acres in the US and just 10 acres in Japan. Despite having the second largest land mass in the world, Canada had the smallest percentage devoted to agriculture. .Census data showed that Canada reported 189,874 farms and 153.7 million acres of total farm area. By comparison, the United States had 2,012,050 farms and 895.3 million acres and the United Kingdom had 219,000 farms and 46.0 million acres under tillage.
