Direct Marketing in Canada

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Release date: June 21, 2017
Infographic: Direct Marketing in Canada
Description: Direct Marketing in Canada

Farm operators are using direct marketing to grow their business and sell products directly to consumers.  In 2015, 1 in 8 farm operations used direct marketing to sell to Canadians.

Percentage of farms that reported using direct marketing, by province
Province Farms that reported direct marketing, as a percent of total farms in the province
British Columbia 32.3%
Alberta 5.1%
Saskatchewan 3.8%
Manitoba 6.1%
Ontario 15.1%
Quebec 18.9%
New Brunswick 22.1%
Nova Scotia 23.6%
Prince Edward Island 14.4%
Newfoundland and Labrador 34.2%

Which farm operations are using direct marketing?

  • 64.6% of farms reporting direct marketing had less than $50,000 in sales in 2015.
  • The median annual sales of farms that reported direct marketing was $20,000.
Direct marketing methods used by Canadian farms
Direct marketing method Percent of farms using method
Farm gates sales, stands, kiosks, u-pick 89.4%
Farmers' markets 22.0%
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) 5.2%
Other 3.8%

Proportion of farms using direct marketing, by farm type

  • 3 in 5 poultry and egg combination farms
  • 3 in 5 beekeeping farms
  • 4 in 5 fruit and vegetable combination farms

Source: Census of Agriculture, 2016.

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