The agriculture industry is one that must always adapt quickly to multiple challenges, such as extreme weather events, trade disputes and fluctuating prices. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic added to these challenges in the form of labour shortages, disruptions in the food supply chain, and rising input prices. All of these issues play a role in the well-being of farm operators. In view of these challenges, collecting information about the status and resiliency of the agricultural sector is important.
Today, Statistics Canada is releasing results from the 2021 Census of Agriculture, which provides new information about emerging trends and issues faced by farm operators in Canada. Statistics Canada owes a debt of gratitude to Canadian farmers who took the time to answer the Census of Agriculture questions in these difficult times.
Data from the Census of Agriculture indicate that trends identified in previous census cycles, such as industry consolidation and aging of farm operators, have continued in 2021. At the same time, the agriculture industry is adapting and modernizing, with higher rates of technology adoption, renewable energy production, use of direct marketing solutions, and sustainable farming practices.
In addition, the 2021 Census of Agriculture shows that livestock inventories and acreage for prominent crops have remained quite stable and even increased modestly since 2016, suggesting that farmers have proven to be resilient in the face of COVID-19 challenges. The industry has also been characterized by the emergence of niche sectors, as evidenced by the increase in the total reported area for greenhouses.
In 2021, the Census of Agriculture counted 189,874 farms, a moderate decrease of 1.9% from 2016. While farms in Canada reported a 3.2% decrease in total farm area from 2016, the total area for hay and field crops increased slightly, by 0.3%, to 92.9 million acres in 2021. The number of head reported for major livestock categories has also increased modestly since 2016.
Farms classified as oilseed and grain continue to make up the largest proportion of farms in Canada. In 2021, there were 65,135 oilseed and grain farms, accounting for 34.3% of total farms. This was followed by beef and feedlots (20.9%). Meanwhile, 82.7% of total farm area was accounted for by these two sectors, totalling 127.1 million acres.
Over the next few months, Statistics Canada will continue to present data trends on issues faced by the Canadian agriculture industry, and introduce new ways to access the Census of Agriculture data, including information about local trends.
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).