Who’s minding Alberta’s farms?

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

The number of farm operators in Alberta declined 7.6%, from 82,455 in 1996 to 76,195 in 2001. Alberta had the smallest percentage decrease in farm operators in Canada. The decrease in farm operators is similar to the 9.1% 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 34.0%. Since 1991, operators in this group dropped by almost half.

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 become relatively larger: 53.1% are now between the ages of 35 and 54, and those 55 and over represent 35.3%. The youngest group is less than 12% of all farmers; 10 years ago it was one-fifth. 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 19.5% of all self-employed workers in Alberta. This is a significant difference from the 11.7% of farm operators under 35.

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

A further indication of an aging farm population in Alberta is the increase in the median age of farm operators. The median age increased from 47 years in 1996 to 49 in 2001. In addition, of all the farm operators counted on May 15, 2001, 15.3% were 65 or over. Another 15,205, or 20.0%, will celebrate their 65th birthday by 2011. By contrast, 8.8% 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, 76,195 farm operators were on 53,652 farms in Alberta. Single-operator farms accounted for 60.1% of all farms, while same-generation farms accounted for 34.1%, and multiple-generation farms made up the remaining 5.7%. (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 women farm operators in Alberta increased slightly between 1996 and 2001. Women made up 28.4% of the farm operators in 2001, up from 26.5% in 1996. Alberta had the second highest proportion of female operators in Canada; only British Columbia (36.2%) had a higher female proportion. Alberta was above the national female proportion of 26.3%.

• In Alberta, women made up nearly 31% and men 69% of farm operators in both the under-35 and 35-to-54 age categories in 2001. In the 55-and-over age group, 24% were female and 76% were male.

• In 2001, the median age of male operators in Alberta was 50 years, an increase of two years from 1996. Nationally, the median age of male operators was 49 years in 2001.

• For female operators, the median age moved to 47 from 45 in 1996. Nationally, the median age of female operators was 48 years in 2001.

• In the last 12 months before the census, 2,700 farm operators in Alberta — or 3.5% — suffered a farm-related injury requiring medical attention or resulting in lost time. Alberta had the third highest injury rate in Canada, behind Manitoba (4.0%) and Saskatchewan (3.6%). Alberta was above the national injury rate of 3.2%.

• The most common injuries suffered by Alberta farm operators were fractures (21.5%), open wounds (19.1%), and sprains and strains (13.3%).

• The proportion of farm operators in Alberta working more than 40 hours per week on the farm slipped to 46.3% in 2000 from 49.7% in 1995. Alberta is below the national average of 47.7% of operators working more than 40 hours per week on the farm.

• In 2000, 49.8% of all female operators in Alberta had some non-farm work in addition to their work on the farm, compared with 48.9% of their male counterparts. At the national level, 45.6% of female and 44.2% of male operators had some non-farm work.

• Alberta farm operators under 35 and 35 to 54 were twice as likely to have non-farm work as operators 55 and over in 2000. In the under-35 age group, 62.8% of operators had non-farm work; for those 35 to 54, the proportion was 59.9%. For the oldest group — those 55 and over — only 28.6% of operators had 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.