Farm cash receipts, January to March 2025
Released: 2025-05-28
$25.6 billion
January to March 2025
3.1% 
(year-over-year change)
Farm cash receipts in Canada totalled $25.6 billion in the first quarter of 2025, up $778.6 million (+3.1%) from the same quarter one year earlier. Receipts for livestock (+$1.3 billion) rose, while program payments (-$547.5 million) fell. Receipts for crops (-$11.8 million) were practically unchanged compared with the previous year.
Chart 1
Total crop, livestock and direct payment receipts as a proportion of total farm cash receipts, Canada, January to March, 2015 to 2025
Most provinces recorded higher farm cash receipts in the first quarter, with Ontario (+$486.8 million) accounting for over 60% of the national increase. Saskatchewan (-$236.4 million) posted the largest decrease, followed by Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.
Chart 2
Farm cash receipts by category, by province or region, Canada, January to March 2025
Cattle and hog prices drive livestock receipts up
Total livestock receipts rose 14.0% to $10.9 billion in the first quarter due to higher prices for most types of livestock.
Cattle (+$775.9 million) and hog (+$305.8 million) receipts led the increase in the first quarter, together accounting for roughly 80% of the rise in livestock receipts. These gains were the result of higher prices for cattle (+21.5%) and hogs (+17.5%), which were caused by strong demand. International exports of cattle also saw a rise in marketings (+32.6%), possibly due to trade policy uncertainty with the United States.
Supply-managed receipts grew 2.5% to $3.8 billion in the first quarter, representing roughly 35% of total livestock receipts. Dairy receipts rose 5.1% (+$111.4 million) due to a 4.7% increase in price. Receipts for turkeys for meat (-$19.8 million) were down, as marketings fell due to a reduction in the national quota. At the same time, lower prices caused a drop in receipts for chickens for meat (-$18.6 million).
Crop receipts hold steady
In the first quarter, total crop receipts were relatively unchanged compared with the same quarter one year earlier, at $13.1 billion (-0.1%). Although cash receipts for most crops increased, these gains were offset by lower deferred payments in Western Canada.
Canola (+$122.1 million) and soybean (+$140.0 million) receipts rose on higher marketings, contributing to the overall increase in oilseed receipts. The latest soybean harvest in Canada was the largest since 2017.
Receipts for cereals and grains increased in the first quarter of 2025 due to higher receipts for corn (+$149.0 million) and durum wheat (+$58.6 million). Conversely, receipts for wheat (excluding durum) dropped by $26.9 million, which was the result of lower prices. The export price of wheat (excluding durum) fell by 4.9% in the first quarter compared with the same period the previous year.
Potato receipts rose 2.8% to $598.4 million in the first quarter due to an increase in marketings. Potato seed receipts were up 37.8%, led by Alberta. The province saw record seed sales amid increased international exports ahead of anticipated trade policy changes.
Crop insurance down from previous years
Total direct payments dropped by $547.5 million (-25.2%) to $1.6 billion in the first quarter. Crop insurance payments (-$486.9 million) led the decrease and fell below their five-year average. Better growing conditions for field crops in 2024 supported increased yields, lessening the demand for crop insurance payments.
Focus on Canada and the United States
Recent announcements about broad new tariffs by the United States may shape trends of farm cash receipts in Canada. Statistics Canada will continue to monitor developments on tariffs.
For detailed and up-to-date figures on trade between Canada and the United States by product type, please refer to the Canadian International Merchandise Trade Web Application.
For more data and insights on areas touched by the socio-economic relationship between Canada and the United States, see the Focus on Canada and the United States webpage.
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Note to readers
The next quarterly release of Farm Cash Receipts will occur on August 29, 2025, and will include data from January to June 2025.
Revised estimates of net farm income for 2024 will be available on November 26, 2025.
All data in this release are in current dollars. Farm cash receipts measure the gross revenue of farm businesses. They include sales of crops and livestock products (except sales between farms in the same province) and program payments. Receipts are recorded when the money is paid to farmers. These do not represent their bottom line, as farmers must pay their expenses and loans and cover depreciation.
Farm cash receipts are, for the most part, based on monthly marketings and the monthly prices of various commodities. Marketings are quantities sold, using various units of measure.
Data are extracted from administrative files and derived from other Statistics Canada surveys and other sources. These data are subject to revision.
For details on farm cash receipts and net farm income for 2024, see the "Farm income" release in today's Daily.
For more information on agriculture and food, visit the Agriculture and Food Statistics portal.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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