Slicing up the pie: A 50-plus-year look at farm cash receipts

Way back in 1971, there were 366,110 farms in Canada, with farm cash receipts totalling $4.7 billion. By 2021, the number of farms had fallen to 189,874, but farm cash receipts had ballooned 1,683.8% to $83.0 billion. In 2025, farm cash receipts rose 4.7% year over year to a record-high $102.2 billion.

When we look at farm cash receipts, we divide them into three slices. 

The first slice belongs to crop receipts, which range from cereal crops like wheat, canola and corn, to fruit and vegetable crops and even maple syrup. 

The second slice belongs to livestock receipts such as the money derived from the sale of cattle, hogs or chickens, and all the products that are derived from them such as milk and eggs. 

The third—and by far the smallest—slice of the pie includes direct payments made to farmers such as crop insurance or Agri-Stability payments.

Unlike today, livestock and livestock products accounted for the largest share of the farm cash receipts in 1971 at 57.1%. Cattle (35.5%) accounted for the largest share of livestock receipts in 1971, followed by unprocessed milk (26.6%), hogs (15.7%) and chickens for meat (6.9%).

Crops accounted for the second-largest share of total farm cash receipts in 1971 at 40.1%. Wheat (except durum wheat) was the largest contributor to crop receipts, accounting for just over one-third of the total with $646.2 million in sales, followed by barley ($192.3 million). Notably, unstemmed leaf tobacco was the third most important cash crop in 1971, with $135.3 million in sales.

Direct payments (2.8%) accounted for a very small share of total farm cash receipts in 1971, with the lion’s share going to dairy subsidies (78.2%).

In the mid 2000s, crops overtook livestock and have remained the largest source of farm cash receipts for Canadian farmers since.

In 2025, crops accounted for 51.0% of the record-high $102.2 billion in farm cash receipts for the year. However, the composition of crop receipts has changed dramatically since 1971.

For example, canola receipts rose 8,898.7% from 1971 to $12.1 billion in 2025, accounting for 23.2% of total crop receipts, making it by far Canada’s largest cash crop. Wheat was Canada’s second most important cash crop with $8.5 billion in sales, accounting for 16.4% of crop receipts.

Of note, durum wheat ($1.9 billion) and lentils ($1.2 billion) were major cash crops in 2025, whereas in 1971, so little was grown that they were classified under miscellaneous crops.

Tobacco receipts in 2025 were almost of the same as in 1971, but accounted for a much smaller share of total crop cash receipts (0.3% in 2025 versus 7.2% in 1971). Today, the tobacco leaf has given way to the cannabis bud. In 2025, cannabis was Canada’s fifth most important cash crop with $3.0 billion or 5.8% of total crop receipts—almost $1 billion more than sixth-place potatoes.

Livestock accounted for 44.3% of total farm cash receipts in 2025. Cattle (40.5%) represented the largest share of livestock receipts in 2025, followed by unprocessed milk (20.2%), hogs (15.9%) and chickens for meat (9.0%).

Direct payments accounted for 4.7% of total farm cash receipts in 2025, with crop insurance (53.1%) and Agri-Stability (18.9%) payments making up the largest share of direct payments.