Section 5 - Techniques and technology, Canada and provinces: census years 1991 to 2006

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  • Canada
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Nova Scotia
  • New Brunswick
  • Quebec

  • Ontario
  • Manitoba
  • Saskatchewan
  • Alberta
  • British Columbia

    • Canada

    Table 5.1
    Tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, Canada and provinces, census years 1991 to 2006
    Canada 1991 1996 2001 2006
    Total land prepared for seeding  empty cell
    Farms reporting 210,350 181,817 167,325 147,501
    Area in acres 71,731,650 70,901,537 73,472,899 71,781,032
    Area in hectares 29,028,766 28,692,831 29,733,424 29,048,749
    Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
    Tillage incorporating most of the crop residue into the soil  empty cell
    Farms reporting 174,888 136,912 116,647 87,204
    Area in acres 49,387,997 37,891,867 29,750,778 20,114,443
    Area in hectares 19,986,611 15,334,293 12,039,711 8,140,025
    Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 68.9 53.4 40.5 28.0
    Tillage retaining most of the crop residue on the surface  empty cell
    Farms reporting 45,429 53,624 46,725 43,495
    Area in acres 17,522,247 21,663,137 21,918,819 18,354,767
    Area in hectares 7,091,001 8,766,760 8,870,230 7,427,910
    Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 24.4 30.6 29.8 25.6
    No-till seeding or zero-till seeding  empty cell
    Farms reporting 17,556 26,919 36,740 43,715
    Area in acres 4,821,406 11,346,533 21,803,302 33,311,822
    Area in hectares 1,951,154 4,591,779 8,823,482 13,480,814
    Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 6.7 16.0 29.7 46.4

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

      When comparing the data on tillage practices to previous censuses, calculating each practice as a percentage of "Total land prepared for seeding" is recommended, since the "Total land prepared for seeding" varies over time.

      The terms "conventional tillage" and "conservation tillage" were used on the 1991 questionnaire, but have been dropped since 1996. However, the descriptions of these two tillage practices were identical on all questionnaires. Therefore, the data are comparable.

      Source

      Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

      Newfoundland and Labrador

      Table 5.1
      Tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, Canada and provinces, census years 1991 to 2006
      Newfoundland and Labrador 1991 1996 2001 2006
      Total land prepared for seeding  empty cell
      Farms reporting 329 284 307 262
      Area in acres 5,065 2,635 4,998 5,883
      Area in hectares 2,050 1,066 2,023 2,381
      Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
      Tillage incorporating most of the crop residue into the soil  empty cell
      Farms reporting 292 246 249 208
      Area in acres 4,260 2,310 3,741 5,195
      Area in hectares 1,724 935 1,514 2,102
      Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 84.1 87.7 74.8 88.3
      Tillage retaining most of the crop residue on the surface  empty cell
      Farms reporting 32 46 56 44
      Area in acres 388 219 656 354
      Area in hectares 157 89 265 143
      Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 7.7 8.3 13.1 6.0
      No-till seeding or zero-till seeding  empty cell
      Farms reporting 28 14 63 39
      Area in acres 417 106 601 334
      Area in hectares 169 43 243 135
      Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 8.2 4.0 12.0 5.7

      Symbols

      • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
      • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
      • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
      • .. not available for a specific reference period
      • ...not applicable

      Notes

        When comparing the data on tillage practices to previous censuses, calculating each practice as a percentage of "Total land prepared for seeding" is recommended, since the "Total land prepared for seeding" varies over time.

        The terms "conventional tillage" and "conservation tillage" were used on the 1991 questionnaire, but have been dropped since 1996. However, the descriptions of these two tillage practices were identical on all questionnaires. Therefore, the data are comparable.

        Source

        Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

        Prince Edward Island

        Table 5.1
        Tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, Canada and provinces, census years 1991 to 2006
        Prince Edward Island 1991 1996 2001 2006
        Total land prepared for seeding  empty cell
        Farms reporting 1,867 1,607 1,362 1,135
        Area in acres 276,066 288,684 294,652 271,746
        Area in hectares 111,720 116,826 119,241 109,972
        Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
        Tillage incorporating most of the crop residue into the soil  empty cell
        Farms reporting 1,755 1,416 1,227 986
        Area in acres 251,851 236,609 224,665 211,603
        Area in hectares 101,920 95,752 90,919 85,633
        Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 91.2 82.0 76.2 77.9
        Tillage retaining most of the crop residue on the surface  empty cell
        Farms reporting 191 316 304 238
        Area in acres 21,698 46,914 64,905 52,172
        Area in hectares 8,781 18,985 26,266 21,113
        Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 7.9 16.3 22.0 19.2
        No-till seeding or zero-till seeding  empty cell
        Farms reporting 87 56 43 60
        Area in acres 2,517 5,161 5,082 7,971
        Area in hectares 1,019 2,089 2,057 3,226
        Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 0.9 1.8 1.7 2.9

        Symbols

        • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
        • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
        • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
        • .. not available for a specific reference period
        • ...not applicable

        Notes

          When comparing the data on tillage practices to previous censuses, calculating each practice as a percentage of "Total land prepared for seeding" is recommended, since the "Total land prepared for seeding" varies over time.

          The terms "conventional tillage" and "conservation tillage" were used on the 1991 questionnaire, but have been dropped since 1996. However, the descriptions of these two tillage practices were identical on all questionnaires. Therefore, the data are comparable.

          Source

          Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

          Nova Scotia

          Table 5.1
          Tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, Canada and provinces, census years 1991 to 2006
          Nova Scotia 1991 1996 2001 2006
          Total land prepared for seeding  empty cell
          Farms reporting 1,873 1,288 1,471 1,354
          Area in acres 78,243 59,054 75,462 65,869
          Area in hectares 31,664 23,898 30,538 26,656
          Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
          Tillage incorporating most of the crop residue into the soil  empty cell
          Farms reporting 1,711 1,140 1,290 1,058
          Area in acres 69,120 45,725 53,841 43,422
          Area in hectares 27,972 18,504 21,789 17,572
          Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 88.3 77.4 71.3 65.9
          Tillage retaining most of the crop residue on the surface  empty cell
          Farms reporting 207 212 221 278
          Area in acres 6,123 11,562 15,372 13,401
          Area in hectares 2,478 4,679 6,221 5,423
          Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 7.8 19.6 20.4 20.3
          No-till seeding or zero-till seeding  empty cell
          Farms reporting 138 69 135 181
          Area in acres 3,000 1,767 6,249 9,046
          Area in hectares 1,214 715 2,529 3,661
          Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 3.8 3.0 8.3 13.7

          Symbols

          • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
          • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
          • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
          • .. not available for a specific reference period
          • ...not applicable

          Notes

            When comparing the data on tillage practices to previous censuses, calculating each practice as a percentage of "Total land prepared for seeding" is recommended, since the "Total land prepared for seeding" varies over time.

            The terms "conventional tillage" and "conservation tillage" were used on the 1991 questionnaire, but have been dropped since 1996. However, the descriptions of these two tillage practices were identical on all questionnaires. Therefore, the data are comparable.

            Source

            Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

            New Brunswick

            Table 5.1
            Tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, Canada and provinces, census years 1991 to 2006
            New Brunswick 1991 1996 2001 2006
            Total land prepared for seeding  empty cell
            Farms reporting 1,793 1,463 1,521 1,331
            Area in acres 152,417 144,415 168,099 162,425
            Area in hectares 61,681 58,443 68,027 65,731
            Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
            Tillage incorporating most of the crop residue into the soil  empty cell
            Farms reporting 1,668 1,299 1,339 1,095
            Area in acres 129,942 114,812 138,113 126,627
            Area in hectares 52,586 46,463 55,892 51,244
            Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 85.3 79.5 82.2 78.0
            Tillage retaining most of the crop residue on the surface  empty cell
            Farms reporting 216 268 246 298
            Area in acres 19,049 26,555 24,916 27,505
            Area in hectares 7,709 10,746 10,083 11,131
            Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 12.5 18.4 14.8 16.9
            No-till seeding or zero-till seeding  empty cell
            Farms reporting 93 94 125 113
            Area in acres 3,426 3,048 5,070 8,293
            Area in hectares 1,386 1,233 2,052 3,356
            Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 2.2 2.1 3.0 5.1

            Symbols

            • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
            • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
            • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
            • .. not available for a specific reference period
            • ...not applicable

            Notes

              When comparing the data on tillage practices to previous censuses, calculating each practice as a percentage of "Total land prepared for seeding" is recommended, since the "Total land prepared for seeding" varies over time.

              The terms "conventional tillage" and "conservation tillage" were used on the 1991 questionnaire, but have been dropped since 1996. However, the descriptions of these two tillage practices were identical on all questionnaires. Therefore, the data are comparable.

              Source

              Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

              Quebec

              Table 5.1
              Tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, Canada and provinces, census years 1991 to 2006
              Quebec 1991 1996 2001 2006
              Total land prepared for seeding  empty cell
              Farms reporting 25,637 21,008 20,899 18,873
              Area in acres 2,105,144 2,051,947 2,766,861 2,789,945
              Area in hectares 851,921 830,393 1,119,709 1,129,051
              Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
              Tillage incorporating most of the crop residue into the soil  empty cell
              Farms reporting 24,204 18,696 18,612 14,865
              Area in acres 1,792,763 1,643,948 2,122,426 1,728,426
              Area in hectares 725,505 665,282 858,915 699,469
              Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 85.2 80.1 76.7 62.0
              Tillage retaining most of the crop residue on the surface  empty cell
              Farms reporting 3,238 3,355 4,505 6,184
              Area in acres 258,998 320,777 511,785 794,134
              Area in hectares 104,813 129,814 207,112 321,375
              Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 12.3 15.6 18.5 28.5
              No-till seeding or zero-till seeding  empty cell
              Farms reporting 1,296 1,865 1,797 2,597
              Area in acres 53,383 87,222 132,650 267,385
              Area in hectares 21,603 35,297 53,682 108,207
              Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 2.5 4.3 4.8 9.6

              Symbols

              • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
              • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
              • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
              • .. not available for a specific reference period
              • ...not applicable

              Notes

                When comparing the data on tillage practices to previous censuses, calculating each practice as a percentage of "Total land prepared for seeding" is recommended, since the "Total land prepared for seeding" varies over time.

                The terms "conventional tillage" and "conservation tillage" were used on the 1991 questionnaire, but have been dropped since 1996. However, the descriptions of these two tillage practices were identical on all questionnaires. Therefore, the data are comparable.

                Source

                Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

                Ontario

                Table 5.1
                Tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, Canada and provinces, census years 1991 to 2006
                Ontario 1991 1996 2001 2006
                Total land prepared for seeding  empty cell
                Farms reporting 50,047 44,077 41,775 38,676
                Area in acres 6,198,253 6,167,161 6,669,735 6,670,555
                Area in hectares 2,508,344 2,495,761 2,699,146 2,699,477
                Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
                Tillage incorporating most of the crop residue into the soil  empty cell
                Farms reporting 44,664 36,130 32,463 26,893
                Area in acres 4,846,165 3,667,924 3,452,834 2,929,031
                Area in hectares 1,961,173 1,484,356 1,397,312 1,185,337
                Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 78.2 59.5 51.8 43.9
                Tillage retaining most of the crop residue on the surface  empty cell
                Farms reporting 9,730 11,472 10,557 11,341
                Area in acres 1,102,043 1,374,771 1,444,045 1,657,893
                Area in hectares 445,981 556,350 584,384 670,925
                Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 17.8 22.3 21.7 24.9
                No-till seeding or zero-till seeding  empty cell
                Farms reporting 3,850 8,374 12,055 12,637
                Area in acres 250,045 1,124,466 1,772,856 2,083,631
                Area in hectares 101,190 455,055 717,449 843,215
                Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 4.0 18.2 26.6 31.2

                Symbols

                • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
                • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
                • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
                • .. not available for a specific reference period
                • ...not applicable

                Notes

                  When comparing the data on tillage practices to previous censuses, calculating each practice as a percentage of "Total land prepared for seeding" is recommended, since the "Total land prepared for seeding" varies over time.

                  The terms "conventional tillage" and "conservation tillage" were used on the 1991 questionnaire, but have been dropped since 1996. However, the descriptions of these two tillage practices were identical on all questionnaires. Therefore, the data are comparable.

                  Source

                  Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

                  Manitoba

                  Table 5.1
                  Tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, Canada and provinces, census years 1991 to 2006
                  Manitoba 1991 1996 2001 2006
                  Total land prepared for seeding  empty cell
                  Farms reporting 20,977 17,567 14,876 12,840
                  Area in acres 10,425,498 9,781,661 9,693,855 9,613,927
                  Area in hectares 4,219,049 3,958,497 3,922,964 3,890,618
                  Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
                  Tillage incorporating most of the crop residue into the soil  empty cell
                  Farms reporting 16,112 13,019 10,250 7,643
                  Area in acres 6,912,686 6,196,544 5,280,248 4,174,437
                  Area in hectares 2,797,464 2,507,652 2,136,840 1,689,335
                  Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 66.3 63.3 54.5 43.4
                  Tillage retaining most of the crop residue on the surface  empty cell
                  Farms reporting 6,002 5,458 4,682 4,523
                  Area in acres 2,988,719 2,691,876 3,163,890 3,388,755
                  Area in hectares 1,209,492 1,089,363 1,280,381 1,371,380
                  Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 28.7 27.5 32.6 35.2
                  No-till seeding or zero-till seeding  empty cell
                  Farms reporting 1,805 1,958 1,996 2,453
                  Area in acres 524,093 893,241 1,249,717 2,050,735
                  Area in hectares 212,093 361,482 505,742 829,903
                  Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 5.0 9.1 12.9 21.3

                  Symbols

                  • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
                  • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
                  • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
                  • .. not available for a specific reference period
                  • ...not applicable

                  Notes

                    When comparing the data on tillage practices to previous censuses, calculating each practice as a percentage of "Total land prepared for seeding" is recommended, since the "Total land prepared for seeding" varies over time.

                    The terms "conventional tillage" and "conservation tillage" were used on the 1991 questionnaire, but have been dropped since 1996. However, the descriptions of these two tillage practices were identical on all questionnaires. Therefore, the data are comparable.

                    Source

                    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

                    Saskatchewan

                    Table 5.1
                    Tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, Canada and provinces, census years 1991 to 2006
                    Saskatchewan 1991 1996 2001 2006
                    Total land prepared for seeding  empty cell
                    Farms reporting 56,897 50,918 44,009 35,963
                    Area in acres 32,210,142 33,202,335 34,827,771 32,984,104
                    Area in hectares 13,034,981 13,436,507 14,094,297 13,348,192
                    Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
                    Tillage incorporating most of the crop residue into the soil  empty cell
                    Farms reporting 41,916 32,001 24,253 14,210
                    Area in acres 20,592,996 15,036,366 11,300,237 6,036,996
                    Area in hectares 8,333,689 6,085,001 4,573,043 2,443,085
                    Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 63.9 45.3 32.4 18.3
                    Tillage retaining most of the crop residue on the surface  empty cell
                    Farms reporting 15,810 19,954 14,489 10,267
                    Area in acres 8,274,250 10,915,424 10,036,457 7,107,149
                    Area in hectares 3,348,470 4,417,315 4,061,610 2,876,161
                    Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 25.7 32.9 28.8 21.5
                    No-till seeding or zero-till seeding  empty cell
                    Farms reporting 7,659 10,690 13,248 15,448
                    Area in acres 3,342,896 7,250,545 13,491,077 19,839,959
                    Area in hectares 1,352,822 2,934,191 5,459,645 8,028,946
                    Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 10.4 21.8 38.7 60.2

                    Symbols

                    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
                    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
                    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
                    • .. not available for a specific reference period
                    • ...not applicable

                    Notes

                      When comparing the data on tillage practices to previous censuses, calculating each practice as a percentage of "Total land prepared for seeding" is recommended, since the "Total land prepared for seeding" varies over time.

                      The terms "conventional tillage" and "conservation tillage" were used on the 1991 questionnaire, but have been dropped since 1996. However, the descriptions of these two tillage practices were identical on all questionnaires. Therefore, the data are comparable.

                      Source

                      Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

                      Alberta

                      Table 5.1
                      Tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, Canada and provinces, census years 1991 to 2006
                      Alberta 1991 1996 2001 2006
                      Total land prepared for seeding  empty cell
                      Farms reporting 44,322 39,107 35,006 30,725
                      Area in acres 19,685,388 18,761,116 18,465,784 18,726,144
                      Area in hectares 7,966,393 7,592,353 7,472,837 7,578,201
                      Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
                      Tillage incorporating most of the crop residue into the soil  empty cell
                      Farms reporting 36,838 29,123 22,041 15,930
                      Area in acres 14,291,324 10,657,824 6,847,096 4,589,714
                      Area in hectares 5,783,493 4,313,068 2,770,921 1,857,391
                      Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 72.6 56.8 37.1 24.5
                      Tillage retaining most of the crop residue on the surface  empty cell
                      Farms reporting 9,249 11,804 10,863 8,956
                      Area in acres 4,779,955 6,166,922 6,550,489 5,185,594
                      Area in hectares 1,934,379 2,495,665 2,650,889 2,098,535
                      Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 24.3 32.9 35.5 27.7
                      No-till seeding or zero-till seeding  empty cell
                      Farms reporting 1,976 3,455 6,490 9,121
                      Area in acres 614,109 1,936,370 5,068,199 8,950,836
                      Area in hectares 248,521 783,621 2,051,027 3,622,274
                      Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 3.1 10.3 27.4 47.8

                      Symbols

                      • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
                      • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
                      • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
                      • .. not available for a specific reference period
                      • ...not applicable

                      Notes

                        When comparing the data on tillage practices to previous censuses, calculating each practice as a percentage of "Total land prepared for seeding" is recommended, since the "Total land prepared for seeding" varies over time.

                        The terms "conventional tillage" and "conservation tillage" were used on the 1991 questionnaire, but have been dropped since 1996. However, the descriptions of these two tillage practices were identical on all questionnaires. Therefore, the data are comparable.

                        Source

                        Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

                        British Columbia

                        Table 5.1
                        Tillage practices used to prepare land for seeding, Canada and provinces, census years 1991 to 2006
                        British Columbia 1991 1996 2001 2006
                        Total land prepared for seeding  empty cell
                        Farms reporting 6,608 4,498 6,099 6,342
                        Area in acres 595,434 442,529 505,682 490,434
                        Area in hectares 240,964 179,085 204,642 198,472
                        Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
                        Tillage incorporating most of the crop residue into the soil  empty cell
                        Farms reporting 5,728 3,842 4,923 4,316
                        Area in acres 496,890 289,805 327,577 268,992
                        Area in hectares 201,084 117,280 132,566 108,857
                        Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 83.5 65.5 64.8 54.8
                        Tillage retaining most of the crop residue on the surface  empty cell
                        Farms reporting 754 739 802 1,366
                        Area in acres 71,024 108,117 106,304 127,810
                        Area in hectares 28,742 43,753 43,020 51,723
                        Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 11.9 24.4 21.0 26.1
                        No-till seeding or zero-till seeding  empty cell
                        Farms reporting 624 344 788 1,066
                        Area in acres 27,520 44,607 71,801 93,632
                        Area in hectares 11,137 18,052 29,057 37,892
                        Percentage of total land prepared for seeding 4.6 10.1 14.2 19.1

                        Symbols

                        • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
                        • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
                        • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
                        • .. not available for a specific reference period
                        • ...not applicable

                        Notes

                          When comparing the data on tillage practices to previous censuses, calculating each practice as a percentage of "Total land prepared for seeding" is recommended, since the "Total land prepared for seeding" varies over time.

                          The terms "conventional tillage" and "conservation tillage" were used on the 1991 questionnaire, but have been dropped since 1996. However, the descriptions of these two tillage practices were identical on all questionnaires. Therefore, the data are comparable.

                          Source

                          Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.