Who’s minding Quebec’s farms?

Distribution of farm operators in Quebec by age class, 1991 to 2001
Other highlights

The number of farm operators in Quebec declined 10.8%, from 53,155 in 1996 to 47,390 in 2001. The percentage decrease in Quebec was slightly higher than the national average of 10.2%. The decrease in farm operators in Quebec is similar to the 10.7% decline in the number of farms reported on May 15, 2002 in Farm operations: regional trends.

Dividing the farm operator population into three age categories — under 35 years, 35 to 54 and 55 and over — shows clear trends. Although operators have declined in number since the last census, the change in the youngest group (which includes operators from 15 years of age to 34) is dramatic and casts an increasingly large and grey shadow over farming’s future. From 1996 to 2001, the number of operators under 35 decreased by 39.5%. Since 1991, operators in this group dropped by more than 51%.

Another way to look at the whole picture is to consider the shares held by each age group. As the share of the younger group shrinks from census to census, the two older groups tend to increase: in 2001, just over 60% were between the ages of 35 and 54, and those 55 and over represented 25.9%. The youngest group now represents 13.7% of all farmers; 10 years ago it was one-quarter. Whether the picture is viewed in absolute or relative terms, farm operators are a greying population.

A comparable group of self-employed workers under 35 in the general labour force constitutes 20.2% of all self-employed workers in Quebec. This is a considerable difference from the 13.7% of farm operators under 35.

Distribution of farm operators in Quebec by age class, 1991 to 2001

A further indication of an aging farm population in Quebec is the increase in the median age of farm operators. The median age increased from 44 years in 1996 to 46 in 2001. In addition, of all the farm operators counted on May 15, 2001, 8.1% were 65 or over. Another 8,410, or 17.8%, will celebrate their 65th birthday by 2011. By contrast, 8.6% of the entire labour force will turn 65 by the 2011 Census.

Additional profiles on the other provinces, and on women farm operators, operator injuries, and on- and non-farm work are available at Profiles of Canadian farm operators. Tables with more provincial detail about farm operators, including their median age and sex, on- and non-farm work, injuries, and distribution by farm type, gross farm receipts, and farm capital are available at Canadian Statistics.

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Other highlights

• In 2001, there were 47,390 farm operators on 32,139 farms in Quebec. Single-operator farms accounted for 57.9% of all farms, while same-generation farms accounted for 32.7%, and multiple-generation farms made up the remaining 9.3%. (Operators must have at least 20 years difference in age but not necessarily be related to be considered of a different generation.)
• The proportion of female farm operators in Quebec stayed the same — at 25.7% — between 1996 and 2001. Quebec’s proportion of female operators falls just below the national proportion of female operators (26.3%).
• In Quebec, women under 35 were the only age group to decrease as a proportion of women operators, falling to 13.6% in 2001 from 22.6% in 1996.
• In 2001, the median age of male operators in Quebec was 47 years, an increase of two years from 1996. Quebec has the lowest male median age in Canada. Manitoba’s was second lowest, at 48 years. Nationally, the median age for male operators was 49 years in 2001.
• The median age for female operators moved to 45 from 42 in 1996. Like their male counterparts, the median age of female operators in Quebec is the lowest in Canada. Female operators in Prince Edward Island have the second lowest median age, at 47 years. Nationally, the median age for female operators was 48 years in 2001.
• In the last 12 months before the census, 1,405 farm operators in Quebec — or 3.0% — suffered a farm-related injury requiring medical attention or resulting in lost time. This was just below the national injury rate of 3.2%.
• The most common injuries suffered by Quebec farm operators were fractures (23.1%), open wounds (19.9%), and sprains and strains (17.4%).
• The proportion of farm operators in Quebec working more than 40 hours per week on the farm remained unchanged between 1995 and 2000, at 56%. Quebec is well above the 2000 national level of 47.7% for on-farm work greater than 40 hours per week.
• In 2000, 29.4% of all female operators had some non-farm work in addition to their work on the farm, compared with 30.7% of their male counterparts. Quebec had the lowest proportion of both male and female operators with non-farm work. No other province was below a 40% participation rate of non-farm work for either men or women. Nationally, 45.6% of female and 44.2% of male operators were involved in non-farm work.

The complete set of data on farm operators, including distribution by age class, is now available at the county, municipality and regional district levels (or their equivalents) in Farm operator data: initial release (95F0355XIE, free) on Statistics Canada’s Web site (). From the Our products and services page choose Free publications then Agriculture.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Gaye Ward (613-951-3172), Census of Agriculture, or Media Relations (613-951-4636).

Require assistance or advice on 2001 Census of Agriculture Products and Services? Contact the nearest Statistics Canada Regional Reference Centre.