Who’s minding Manitoba’s farms?

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

The number of farm operators in Manitoba declined 13.4%, from 33,255 in 1996 to 28,795 in 2001. Only Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island had a larger percentage decrease in farm operators. The decrease in farm operators is similar to the 13.6% 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 all three 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 34.6%. Since 1991, operators in this group dropped by 46.3%.

Another way to look at the whole picture is to consider the shares held by each age group. As the share of the youngest group shrinks from census to census, the two older groups tend to increase: in 2001, nearly 54% were between the ages of 35 and 54 and those 55 and over represented 32.8%. The youngest group now represents 13.4% of all farmers; 10 years ago it was 20.7%. 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 19.4% of all self-employed workers in Manitoba. This is a considerable difference from the 13.4% of farm operators under 35.

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

A further indication of an aging farm population in Manitoba is the increase in the median age of farm operators. The median age increased from 46 years in 1996 to 48 in 2001. In addition, of all the farm operators counted on May 15, 2001, 13.9% were 65 or over. Another 5,450 or 18.9%, will celebrate their 65th birthday by 2011. By contrast, 9.7% 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.

Other highlights

• In 2001, 28,795 farm operators were on 21,071 farms in Manitoba. Single-operator farms accounted for 65.2% of all farms, while same-generation farms accounted for 28.3%, and multiple-generation farms made up the remaining 6.5%. (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 Manitoba increased from 21.6% to 22.6% between 1996 and 2001. Manitoba is below the national female proportion of 26.3%.

• In 2001, the median age of male operators in Manitoba was 48 years, an increase of one year from 1996. The median age for female operators moved to 47 from 45 in 1996. Nationally, the median age for male operators was 49 years and 48 years for female operators in 2001.

• In the last 12 months before the census, 1,150 farm operators in Manitoba — or 4.0% — suffered a farm-related injury requiring medical attention or resulting in lost time. Manitoba had the highest injury rate in Canada. The national injury rate was 3.2%.

• The most common injuries suffered by Manitoba farm operators were fractures (20.0%), open wounds (19.6%), and nerve and spinal cord injuries (17.0%).

• The proportion of farm operators in Manitoba working more than 40 hours per week on the farm remained the same between 1995 and 2000, at 54.1% of all operators. Only Prince Edward Island (57.4%) and Quebec (56.0%) had higher proportions of operators working more than 40 hours per week on the farm. The national average was 47.7% in 2000.

• In 2000, 50.8% of all female operators in Manitoba engaged in non-farm work in addition to their work on the farm, compared with 44.2% of their male counterparts. Nationally, 45.6% of female and 44.2% of male operators had non-farm work.

• Manitoba farm operators under 35 were twice as likely to be involved in non-farm work compared with operators 55 and over in 2000. Of the youngest group, 59.1% were engaged in non-farm work compared with only 27.6% of operators 55 and over.

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.