Agricultural activity is found throughout virtually all of the
settled Canadian landscape, from Windsor, Ontario to Hay River,
Northwest Territories and from the Queen Charlotte Islands in British
Columbia to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Despite
this wide spread of coverage little more than 7% of Canada’s
land area is used for farming (and almost 40% of the farmland total
is found in Saskatchewan).
The Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba dominate
Canada’s agricultural landscape. They contain 80% of Canada’s
farmland and 50% of the total number of farms. The average Prairie
farm is at least three times larger than that found anywhere else
in Canada. Alberta has the most land in pasture, and the most cattle
of any province, while between them Saskatchewan and Manitoba have
more land in crops than the rest of Canada combined.
Agricultural activity is more scattered in other parts of Canada.
British Columbia has less than 8% of the farms and under 4% of the
farm land. Over half of British Columbia's farmland is used for
pasture. Ontario and Quebec account for nearly 40% of farms but
only 13% of the farmland. Both provinces use more farmland for crops
than pasture. The Atlantic Provinces account for less than 2% of
the farmland and under 4% of the farms.
Table 1. Average Farm Size, 1996
Average Farm Size, 1996
British
Columbia |
21
653 |
3.7 |
288 |
Alberta |
58
990 |
30.9 |
881 |
Saskatchewan |
56
979 |
39.1 |
1152 |
Manitoba |
24
341 |
11.4 |
785 |
Ontario |
67
118 |
8.2 |
206 |
Quebec |
35
716 |
5.0 |
237 |
New Brunswick |
3
206 |
0.6 |
290 |
Nova Scotia |
4
021 |
0.6 |
241 |
Prince
Edward Island |
2
200 |
0.4 |
297 |
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
731 |
0.1 |
147 |
Canada |
274
955 |
100.0 |
611 |
|
Source: 1996 Census of Agriculture, National
and Provincial Highlights
- Figures do not include farms which produce only Christmas trees,
which were enumerated for the first time in the 1996 Census of
Agriculture
- The Canada figures do not include data for the Yukon or Northwest
Territories
- 1 acre = 0.405 hectares
Table 2. Agricultural Land Use, 1996
Agricultural Land Use, 1996
British
Columbia |
22.4 |
1.5 |
56.0 |
20.0 |
Alberta |
45.4 |
6.8 |
40.6 |
7.2 |
Saskatchewan |
54.2 |
16.7 |
23.8 |
5.3 |
Manitoba |
60.8 |
4.2 |
26.0 |
9.0 |
Ontario |
63.3 |
0.3 |
18.1 |
18.3 |
Quebec |
50.7 |
0.3 |
15.1 |
34.0 |
New Brunswick |
35.9 |
0.1 |
13.3 |
50.7 |
Nova Scotia |
28.6 |
0.1 |
15.6 |
55.6 |
Prince
Edward Island |
64.3 |
0.1 |
10.3 |
25.2 |
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
16.5 |
0.2 |
21.3 |
62.0 |
Canada |
51.4 |
9.2 |
29.4 |
10.0 |
|
Source: 1996 Census of Agriculture, National
and Provincial Highlights
- Figures do not include farms which produce only Christmas trees,
which were enumerated for the first time in the 1996 Census of
Agriculture
- The Canada figures do not include data for the Yukon or Northwest
Territories
- The 'Fallow' column refers to Summerfallow
- The 'Other Uses' column refers to land used by buildings and
land not in use
- Totals may not add due to rounding
- 1 acre = 0.405 hectares
Significant Crops
Just over half of Canada’s agricultural land is used for
crops and more than 80% of the cropland is found in the Prairies.
Livestock feed is a significant crop across Canada: hay and fodder
are the most common crop in all provinces except the Prairies. Another
significant crop is silage corn: almost a quarter of Ontario and
Quebec’s cropland was used for grain and silage corn. The
most common crop in terms of area seeded was wheat. Over a third
of all crop land was seeded with spring and durum wheat, almost
all is found in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In total, over
three-quarters of Canada’s crop land was seeded with just
five crops: spring wheat, durum wheat, hay and fodder, barley, and
canola.
Table 3. Total Area in Crops, 1996
Total Area in Crops, 1996
British
Columbia |
1
397 970 |
1.60 |
Alberta |
23
590 032 |
27.30 |
Saskatchewan |
35
579 845 |
41.20 |
Manitoba |
11
611 844 |
13.50 |
Ontario |
8
759 707 |
10.20 |
Quebec |
4
296 697 |
5.00 |
New Brunswick |
333
611 |
0.40 |
Nova Scotia |
277
658 |
0.30 |
Prince
Edward Island |
420
971 |
0.50 |
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
17
742 |
0.02 |
Canada |
86
286 077 |
100.00 |
|
Source: 1996 Census of Agriculture, National
and Provincial Highlights
- Figures do not include farms which produce only Christmas trees,
which were enumerated for the first time in the 1996 Census of
Agriculture
- Figures do not include data for the Yukon or Northwest Territories.
- 1 acre = 0.405 hectares
Table 4. Total Area in Crops, 1996
Total Area in Crops, 1996
British
Columbia |
Hay
and fodder crops |
61.5 |
87.0 |
Alberta |
Spring Wheat |
27.3 |
91.2 |
Saskatchewan |
Spring
Wheat |
39.1 |
82.5 |
Manitoba |
Spring
Wheat |
34.6 |
86.5 |
Ontario |
Hay
and fodder crops |
28.7 |
87.7 |
Quebec |
Hay
and fodder crops |
50.7 |
89.8 |
New Brunswick |
Hay
and fodder crops |
51.9 |
90.0 |
Nova Scotia |
Hay
and fodder crops |
63.4 |
80.7 |
Prince
Edward Island |
Hay
and fodder crops |
32.0 |
89.8 |
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
Hay
and fodder crops |
71.2 |
84.8 |
Canada |
Spring
Wheat |
28.5 |
77.3 |
|
Source: 1996 Census of Agriculture, National
and Provincial Highlights
- Figures do not include farms which produce only Christmas trees,
which were enumerated for the first time in the 1996 Census of
Agriculture
- Figures do not include data for the Yukon or Northwest Territories.
- 1 acre = 0.405 hectares
The Importance of Livestock
There is a distinct difference in Canadian agriculture as one moves
from west to east. Alberta and Saskatchewan combine for three-quarters
of Canada’s pasture land. They also contain just over half
of the beef cattle. As pasture land in these two provinces tends
to be dry, beef cattle require a larger grazing area than on farms
in eastern Canada.
Ontario and Quebec have about 70% of the dairy cows and almost
a quarter of the beef cattle on less than 10% of Canada’s
pasture land. These two provinces also dominate the other livestock
types, claiming over half of the pigs and almost 60% of the poultry.
Table 5. Area in Pasture, 1996
Area in Pasture, 1996
British
Columbia |
3
489 802 |
7.10 |
Alberta |
21
078 120 |
42.70 |
Saskatchewan |
15
633 907 |
31.70 |
Manitoba |
4
966 578 |
10.10 |
Ontario |
2
499 930 |
5.10 |
Quebec |
1
282 172 |
2.60 |
New Brunswick |
123
883 |
0.30 |
Nova Scotia |
151
039 |
0.30 |
Prince
Edward Island |
67
369 |
0.10 |
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
22
956 |
0.05 |
Canada |
49
315 756 |
100.00 |
|
Source: 1996 Census of Agriculture, National
and Provincial Highlights
- Figures do not include farms which produce only Christmas
trees, which were enumerated for the first time in the 1996 Census
of Agriculture
- The Canada figures do not include data for the Yukon or Northwest
Territories
- 1 acre = 0.405 hectares
Table 6. Cattle and Calves, 1996
Cattle and Calves, 1996
British
Columbia |
814
103 |
5.5 |
Alberta |
5
942 257 |
39.9 |
Saskatchewan |
2
723 642 |
18.3 |
Manitoba |
1
355 162 |
9.1 |
Ontario |
2
285 996 |
15.3 |
Quebec |
1
439 743 |
9.7 |
New Brunswick |
100
297 |
0.7 |
Nova Scotia |
128
971 |
0.9 |
Prince
Edward Island |
94
611 |
0.6 |
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
8
252 |
0.1 |
Canada |
14
893 034 |
100.0 |
|
Source: 1996 Census of Agriculture, National
and Provincial Highlights
- Figures do not include farms which produce only Christmas trees,
which were enumerated for the first time in the 1996 Census of
Agriculture
- The Canada figures do not include data for the Yukon or Northwest
Territories
Table 7. Dairy Cows, 1996
Dairy Cows, 1996
British
Columbia |
82
008 |
6.7 |
Alberta |
102
830 |
8.4 |
Saskatchewan |
38
154 |
3.1 |
Manitoba |
59
404 |
4.8 |
Ontario |
404
797 |
33.0 |
Quebec |
471
855 |
38.4 |
New Brunswick |
21
265 |
1.7 |
Nova Scotia |
26
623 |
2.2 |
Prince
Edward Island |
16
353 |
1.3 |
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
4
443 |
0.4 |
Canada |
1
227 732 |
100.0 |
|
Source: 1996 Census of Agriculture, National
and Provincial Highlights
- Figures do not include farms which produce only Christmas trees,
which were enumerated for the first time in the 1996 Census of
Agriculture
- The Canada figures do not include data for the Yukon or Northwest
Territories
Table 8. Pigs, 1996
Pigs, 1996
British
Columbia |
174
169 |
1.60 |
Alberta |
1
729 810 |
15.70 |
Saskatchewan |
757
027 |
6.90 |
Manitoba |
1
777 352 |
16.10 |
Ontario |
2
831 082 |
25.60 |
Quebec |
3
443 832 |
31.20 |
New Brunswick |
74
471 |
0.70 |
Nova Scotia |
130
707 |
1.20 |
Prince
Edward Island |
117
560 |
1.10 |
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
4
452 |
0.04 |
Canada |
11
040 462 |
100.00 |
|
Source: 1996 Census of Agriculture, National
and Provincial Highlights
- Figures do not include farms which produce only Christmas trees,
which were enumerated for the first time in the 1996 Census of
Agriculture
- The Canada figures do not include data for the Yukon or Northwest
Territories
Table 9. Poultry, 1996
Poultry, 1996
British
Columbia |
13
759 261 |
13.5 |
Alberta |
9
485 635 |
9.3 |
Saskatchewan |
3
516 027 |
3.4 |
Manitoba |
6
403 908 |
6.3 |
Ontario |
35
596 946 |
34.8 |
Quebec |
25
440 825 |
24.9 |
New Brunswick |
2
663 684 |
2.6 |
Nova Scotia |
3
558 559 |
3.5 |
Prince
Edward Island |
352
488 |
0.3 |
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
1
477 816 |
1.4 |
Canada |
102
255 149 |
100.0 |
|
Source: 1996 Census of Agriculture, National
and Provincial Highlights
- Figures do not include farms which produce only Christmas trees,
which were enumerated for the first time in the 1996 Census of
Agriculture
- The Canada figures do not include data for the Yukon or Northwest
Territories
Agriculture and the Economy
The Census of Agriculture records the number of people involved
in primary agriculture activity. Farm operators are defined as those
persons responsible for day to day management decisions made in
the operation of a census farm or agricultural operation. There
can be more than one farm operator on a single farm and farm operators
can generate employment income from off-farm work.
- There were 274 955 farms in 1996, a drop of 1.8% from the total
number in 1991.
- Total farm cash receipts were $29.2 billion in 1996. They totalled
$30.4 billion in 1999.
- In 1996, 48% of all farm cash receipts came from crops while
47% of receipts came from livestock and related products. In 1999
crops accounted for 43%, while livestock and related products
rose to 49% of all farm cash receipts.
- Operating expenses after rebates were $22.7 billion for 1996.
In 1999 they rose to $24.3 billion.
- The total net income for farm operators was $4.4 billion in
1996. By 1999 the total net income had fallen to $2.9 billion.
- In 1996, there were 387 550 farm operators of which only 230
195 were considered to have an agricultural occupation.
- There were 425 500 people 15 years of age and over employed
in the agriculture industry in 1996, just over 3% of all employed
people. By 1999 this had fallen to 410 100 people, just under
3% of all employed people.
Exports
Exports of all agricultural products were $20 billion in 1996,
just over 7% of all Canadian trade. Total grains and oilseeds made
up almost $11 billion of agricultural exports. A further $5 billion
was made up of live animals and red meats, both predominately cattle.
The top four destinations of agricultural exports were: United States
51%, Japan 11%, European Union 7% and China 6%.
In 1999 agricultural exports rose to $21.7 billion, almost 6% of
total trade. Almost $10 billion of agricultural trade was made up
of grains and oilseeds. Live animals and red meats, both predominately
cattle, made up $4.5 billion of trade. The top five destinations
were United States 61%, Japan 9%, European Union 6%, and China 3%.
The Globalization of Agriculture
Considerable changes occurred in federal agricultural assistance
just prior to the 1996 Census of Agriculture. In 1995, Canada began
to implement the Uruguay
Round Agreement on Agriculture. This agreement commits member
governments to reduce agricultural export subsidies by 36% and subsidies
to specific products by 21% from 1986-90 levels. This first phase
of reductions is to conclude by the year 2001.
In accordance with the Uruguay Round Agreement, the federal budget
of 1995 ended the Western Grain Transportation Act's subsidy for
transporting Prairie grain by rail. In 1996, most agricultural price
stabilization programs were ended, including a five-year phase-out
of payments to dairy producers. |