This 2014 report
provides an economic overview of the Canadian agriculture and agri-food
system with the latest comprehensive annual data from 2012. It is meant
to be a multi-purpose reference document to provide:
a snapshot of the
structure and performance of the system including the changes that
are occurring in response to challenges, opportunities and market
developments; and
background data and
information to inform public discussions on these challenges and
opportunities.
The report describes
the Canadian agriculture and agri-food system as a modern, highly
complex, integrated, internationally competitive and growing part of the
Canadian economy. It is a resilient system, continuously responding to
the challenges and opportunities it faces by restructuring and adapting
to changing consumer demands, advancing technology and globalization.
Charts and tables with
brief accompanying text are used to summarize information and to provide
base indicators of structure and performance.
The report provides a
general picture of the economic contribution of the agriculture and agri-food
system to the Canadian economy, as measured by its share of gross
domestic product (GDP) and employment, and concludes with a review of
government expenditures in support of agriculture and agri-food,
including international comparisons of government measures of support.
Highlights
Importance of the System to the Canadian Economy
The Canadian
agriculture and agri-food system (AAFS) is a complex and integrated
supply chain which includes input and service suppliers, primary
producers, food and beverage processors, food retailers and
wholesalers, and foodservice providers. The activities along this
supply chain generate significant economic benefits at both the
federal and provincial levels.
In 2012, the AAFS generated
$103.5 billion, accounting for 6.7% of Canada's GDP. Of this, the
food retail and wholesale industry accounted for the largest share
(1.8%), followed by the food, beverage and tobacco (FBT) processing
industry (1.7%).
The agriculture and
agri-food sector's contribution to the Canadian GDP has increased
annually since 2007, the exception being during the economic
recession of 2009.
Employment in most
industries in the AAFS continued on an upward trend. In 2012, the AAFS provided
one in eight jobs in Canada, employing over 2.1 million people. The
foodservice industry was the largest employer in the AAFS,
accounting for 5.2% of all Canadian jobs in 2012.
Global Context
The performance of
the agriculture and agri-food industries depends on their ability to
compete both in domestic and international markets over the
long-term. Canada continues to remain relatively competitive in such
markets.
Canadian export
sales grew by 8.1% in 2012. While the U.S. remains Canada's most
important agriculture and agri-food export destination, Canadian
exports to China increased by 84.2% in 2012 to $5.0 billion, and
accounted for much of the export growth in non-U.S. markets. With
export sales of $43.6 billion, Canada overtook Argentina to become
the world's fifth-largest exporter, accounting for 3.5% of the total
value of world agriculture and agri-food exports.
While the U.S.
continues to be Canada's most important trading partner, China
surpassed Japan in 2012 to become Canada's second-largest
agriculture and agri-food export destination. Of the total value of
Canadian agriculture and agri-food exports, the U.S. accounted for
48.4% and China, 11.4%.
With import sales
of $32.3 billion in 2012—an increase of 4.2% over the previous
year—Canada remained the world's sixth-largest importer, accounting
for 2.7% of the total value of world agriculture and agri-food
imports. The U.S. accounted for 61.2% of the value of all Canadian
agriculture and agri-food imports.
It is estimated
that approximately half of the value of primary agriculture
production in Canada is exported, either as primary commodities or
processed food and beverage products. The processed foods industry
is particularly export-dependent and Canadian exports of processed
food products increased by 6.0% to $21.7 billion in 2012.
Components of the Agriculture and Agri-Food System
In response to
challenges, opportunities and changing market conditions, the
agriculture and agri-food system continues to transform and restructure.
Primary Agriculture
Favourable market
conditions have enabled the sector to grow and allowed a number of
farms to diversify their production to include non-traditional
crops. In particular, drought in the U.S. in the summer of 2012
drove up grain and oilseed prices. Grain and oilseed receipts
increased by $13.1 billion between 2002 and 2012, and accounted for
the largest share (41.3%) of the total value of all farm market
receipts in 2012. Overall, market receipts increased in value by
55.9% between 2002 and 2012. Those from the sale of special crops
have more than doubled in that time. Receipts from red meat sales,
however, have fallen over this period.
Farm performance,
as measured by farm income and net worth, continued to remain strong
overall. Net cash income among Canadian farms in 2012 was $13.3
billion—48.7% above the 2007-2011 average, and 17.6% above the 2011
net cash income. The net value added is estimated to have reached
$16.2 billion in 2012—46.4% higher than the 2002-2011 average, and
1.8% above the previous record high in 2008. Canada-wide, the
average net worth per farm was $1.7 million in 2011, an increase of
9.5% over 2010.
The composition of
farm operators is also changing. An increasing proportion of farms
are being operated solely by young operators (those 18 to 39 years
of age), despite an aging population. These young farmers have an
average of 11 years of farming experience.
Food and Beverage Processing
The food and
beverage processing industry produces goods using both primary and
processed products as inputs. It is important for the growth of the
primary agricultural industry as primary commodities accounted for
about 46% of the total value of material inputs used by the food
processing industry in 2009.
The food and
beverage processing industry is the largest of all manufacturing
industries in Canada, accounting for the largest share (15.9%) of
the total manufacturing sector's GDP in 2012. It also accounted for
the largest share (16.7%) of the jobs in the manufacturing sector.
The industry continues to grow and the value of shipments more than
doubled since 1992, reaching $93.7 billion in 2012.
Consumers
Canadians spent
$183.9 billion on food, beverages and tobacco products in 2012. This
represented the second largest household expenditure category after
shelter, accounting for 18.6% of all Canadian household spending in
2012.
Food expenditures
accounted for a smaller share of total household expenditures on
goods and services in Canada than in several other OECD countries.
For example, food accounted for 10.6% of total household
expenditures in Canada, and 13.0% in the U.S.
Government Expenditures in Support of the Sector
Expressed in dollar
terms, government expenditures (federal and provincial) in support
of the agriculture and agri-food sector are expected to increase to
$6.8 billion in 2012-13. However, as a share of the agriculture GDP,
government expenditures are estimated to be 22.1% in 2012-13.
Research and
inspection expenditures and program payments at the federal level
make up the largest portion of government support to the agriculture
and agri-food sector.
Public investments
in research and development (R&D) in the agriculture and agri-food
sector represent a critical source of innovation and productivity
growth. R&D expenditures, of which the majority are incurred by the
federal government, are estimated to rise to $602 million in
2012-13.
To request an electronic copy of the full report, please
contact:
Types of Farming in Canada
A Co-operative Study by the Economics Division Marketing Service and the
Census Division Dominion Bureau of Statistics Farming Facts 2002
An interesting overview of Agriculture in Canada in pdf format. The Real Dirt on Farming 2011
An excellent pdf publication giving a very good overview on the farming
industry. Julie Plamondon
Corporate
Communications, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Virtual Farm Tours
You'll meet the farmers who put food on
our tables 365 days each year; you'll see the animals that live on many
of these farms and you'll learn about the work that goes into growing a
wide variety of crops. Enjoy! Canadian Farmers
A look at some of Canadian Farming businesses
Farmissues.com
While
the number of farmers has dwindled, our productivity has soared. Where
our grandparents or great grandparents could produce enough food for 10
people, today's farmer can feed well over 120. At the same time, we're
using fewer resources, less land and newer, better technologies to
produce high quality, Canadian products. This will be especially
important as Canadian farmers strive to do their part to feed a growing
world population. History of Farming in Ontario
By C. C. James (1914). First Lessons on Agriculture
for Canadian Farmers and their Families
by Egerton Ryerson, 2nd Edition (1871) (pdf) A Farm Home in Ontario
A publication of the Minister of Agriculture of Ontario Potato Growing in Canada
By the Canadian Department of Agriculture Oats in Canada
By the Canadian Department of Agriculture Sheep Husbandry in Canada
By the Canadian Department of Agriculture
Sheep Farming in Canada
Taken from the Colonial Advocate, Thursday, June 3, 1824.
Published by W. L. Mackenzie, Bookseller, Queenston, Upper Canada. Swine Husbandry in Canada
By the Canadian Department of Agriculture Wheat Growing in Canada
By William Saunders Salmon Farming in Canada
A success story and a link to learn more. Pulse Industry
Pea,
lentil, bean, chickpea, mustard, sunflower, canary seed and buckwheat. Strawberry Crop
Looking at the Strawberry industry in Canada. Sheep Raising in British
Columbia
An interesting booklet from the Department of Agriculture (pdf) Deep Furrows
Which Tells of Pioneer trails along which the Farmers of Western Canada
fought their way to Great Achievements in Co-Operation by Hopkins
Moorhouse (1918) (pdf) Dry Farming in Western Canada
By John Bracken (1921) (pdf) Scotch Tenant-Farmers
On the Agricultural Resources of Canada. The Reports of Mr. John Steven,
Purroch Farm, Hurlford, Ayrshire; and Mr. Alex. Fraser, Balloch of
Culloden, Inverness, on their visit to Canada in 1893. (pdf) Fruit Farming in Ontario Studies of Plant Life in Canada
Wild Flowers, Flowering Shrubs, and Grasses by Mrs. C. P. Traill (1906)
(pdf) EatRight Ontario
Talk to a registered Dietitian for free. The Agricultural Gazette of Canada
Editor: J. B. Spencer, B.S.A. (1918) (pdf) Fruit Growing in Canada
By John Craig (pdf)
We are the best
Agriculture videos of Canada [external link]
Hunger for tomatoes turns Canada into greenhouse superpower
Science at DFO
The video that you are about to see is designed to give you a bit of a
snapshot overview of our Sector, its depth, its breadth, its incredible
scope, you’ll get a chance to get a feel for the wide, wide array of
work that we do from coast to coast to coast, at sea, on land and
occasionally even in the air. [external link] Romance of the Grain Growers of
Saskatchewan, History, Aims and Objects. (pdf) Bulletins from Ontario Agricutural College and
Department of Agriculture
Nos. 181 to 208 (1913) (pdf)
Seafood Fraud and Mislabelling Across Canada
By Oceania Canada (pdf) The Canadian Horticulturist
Published by the Fruit Growers Association of Ontario Farming in Canada
Or Life in the Back Woods by Frank Lynn, F.R.C.S. (pdf) The Historical
Overview of Canadian Agriculture
One of the publications in the 1996 Census of Agriculture series of
products (pdf) Canadian Vegetables for Every Day
By Edith L. Elliot (1936) (pdf) Canadian Dairying
By Henry H. Dean (1903) (pdf) Buying and storing Canadian Foods for
foodservice industry
By Agriculture Canada (1981) (pdf) Real Farm Lives
A series of videos showing the working life of farms in Canada State of Canada's Birds
The 2019 summary (pdf) Canada: Geographical, Agricultural, and
Mineralogical Sketch
Published by authority of the Bureau of Agriculture (1865) (pdf) Cannabis Cultivation How to own a farm in Western
Canada (pdf)
Little Mountain Ranch
A vlog of a ranch in Northern BC on YouTube. [External Link] Highland Society of New
Brunswick at Miramichi
Incorporated 11th Day of April 1846. Report of proceedings for 1876
(pdf)
Silhouettes of the West
From The Globe of September 4th, 1909 (pdf) The great Canadian North-west,
finest farming lands in the world
By Canadian Pacific Limited (1892) (pdf) Farming in Alberta (1957) (pdf) Better Farming, Better Air
A scientific analysis of farming practice and greenhouse gases in Canada
March 2008 (pdf) Farming,
Ranching and Social Conditions in Western Canada
A series of articles written by practical men on subjects of interest to
those looking to better their present condition. Fifth Edition, April,
1911 (pdf) Farming in the North-West of
Canada
Actual Results. The following extracts are taken at random in books and
newspapers as they came at hand. They embrace a period of nearly thirty
years and apply to various localities in the prairie country. which
extends from Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains, a distance of
more than a thousand miles. They show in the most conclusive manner that
farming in the North West of Canada offers advantages which can be found
in no other parts of the world. When the immigrant arrives in that
"paradise of fertility," all that he has to do is to plough, sow and
reap. Ditching, draining and similar operations, so laborious and
expensive in other farming countries, are unknown and useless in the
prairies of the North-West, and still the average yield of wheat is
about thirty bushels per acre. (pdf) Farming Opportunities in Ontario
Printed by Order of The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario
(1911) (pdf) Fox Farming in Canada
By Agriculture Canada (1979) (pdf) Fur-Farming in Canada
By J. Walter Jones. B.S.A. (1913) (pdf) Stock Farming in Canada
Correspondence Reprinted from the "Canadian News" (1864) (pdf) Successful Farming
A Ready Reference on All Phases of Agriculture for Farmers of the United
States and Canada including Soils, Manures, Fertilizers, Lime, Drainage,
Irrigation, Tillage, Field Crops, Crop Rotations, Plant Improvement,
Meadows and Pastures, Weeds — Vegetables, Vegetable Forcing, Mushroom
Culture, Medicinal Plants — Orcharding, Small Fruits, Nut Culture, Farm
Woodlot, Floriculture—Livestock, Dairying, Feeds and Feeding, Animal
Diseases — Farm Management, Records and Accounts, Markets and Marketing,
Land Rental, Labor — Farm Buildings, Fences, Engines, Tractors,
Machinery, Sanitation — Plant Diseases, Insects, Fungicides,
Insecticides — Domestic Economy, Housing, Clothing, Education,
Information — Useful Tables, Composition of Products, Feeding Standards,
Weights, Measures. By Frank D. Gardner (1916) (pdf) The Canadian Farmer's Manual of
Agriculture
The Principals and Pratice of Mixed Husbandry as adapted to Canadian
Soils and Climate comprising: The Field; Produce of the Farm; Stock:
raising and management; Manufactures of the Farm; Dairy; Diseases of
Horses, Cattle, Sheep, Pigs; Farm Buildings; Modern Machinery and
Implements; Counsel to the Immigrsant Settler, etc. by Charles Edward
Whitcombe of the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, England, and a
Practical Farmer in Ontario. With numerous wood-cut illustrations,
Tables, and Forms of Simple Farm Account Keeping, prepared expressly for
the Work, and an Introduction by Professor H. McCandless, Principal of
the Ontario School of Agriculture, Guelph. (1874) Beautifying the Farm Home
By the Manitoba Agricultural College (1917) (pdf) The Herds and Flocks of Ontario
Report of William Brown, Professor of Agriculture, Guelph (1883) (pdf) Places of Last Resort
The Expansion of the Farm Frontier into the Boreal Forest in Canada,
c.1910-1940 By J. David Wood. Montreal and Kingston (2006) (pdf) A study of pioneer farming in the
fringe areas of the Peace River, Alberta, 1942
By Acton, B. K; and Spence, C. C. (1947) (pdf) The Farmer's and Emigrant's Hand
Book
Being a Full and Complete Guide for the Farmer and Emigrant comprising
the clearing of Forest and Prairie land, Gardening, Farming Generally,
Farriery, Cookery, and Prevention and Cure of Diseases with copious
hints, recipes and tables by Josiah T. Marshall (1852) (pdf)
Canadian scientists are trying to make your tomatoes tasty again
As palates have evolved, so have approaches to agriculture. Ann Hui
reports on the Canadian quest for a flavour-forward tomato. [External
link] Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian Indigenous
Peoples
Nutrition, Botany and Use by Harriet V. Kuhnlein School of Dietetics and
Human Nutrition McGill University, Montreal, Quebec and Nancy J. Turner
Environmental Studies Program, University of Victoria, Victoria,
British Columbia (1996) Agri-Lmi - Labour Market Information
Agriculture 2025: How the Sector’s Labour Challenges Will Shape Its
Future (pdf)
Ontario Apple Growers
Annual Report for Year Ending October 31, 2019 Directions for Taking and Curing Herrings
And for curing Cod, Ling, Tusk, and Hake by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder,
Bart., Secretary to the honourable the Board of British Fisheries
reprinted and circulated by Command of His Excellency the
Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick (1850) (pdf) Canada Agriculture
Malting barley production in Canada (1985) (pdf) Agriculture in Canada
To provide a concise account of the agricultural industry of Canada, a
representative of the Minister of Agriculture for each province
consented to deal with his respective province in a descriptive article
for The Agricultural Gazette. The series, which began in the May number
for 1916 and continued to the end of the volume, dealt with the area and
character of the agricultural lands, the history and development of the
farming industry and the outlook for its future growth. By the authority
of The Honourable Martin Burrell, Minister of Agriculture, the series is
here reprinted as Pamphlet No.5 of The Publications Branch. (1917) (pdf) Helping Canadians Grow
By Agriculture Canada (1988) (pdf) Canada Statistical Abstract and Record
for the year 1888
Published by the Department of Agriculture (pdf) The Grain Growers Guide
Livestock & Building Number February 25, 1920 (pdf) Dufferin Farm Tour
A video on this area of Ontario The Farmer
The Scot and his Draft Horse. Dean Rutherford claims for Scottish
breeders the discovery of the relationship between form and function in
draft horse — In all breeding undertakings Scottish breeders have
combined beauty and utility in rare degree (pdf) Canada as seen through Scottish Eyes
Being an account of a trip taken across the Dominion by the Scottish
Agricultural Commission in the Autumn of 1908 published by the Authority
of the Minister of the Interior, Ottawa, Canada (1909) (pdf) The Pioneer Farm and the Wabigoon
Country
Rainy River District, A new section opened for settlement - Information
as to the Country and its capabilities - A account of the farm
established there by the Ontario government (1896) (pdf) Fruits of Ontario
Printed by the Ontario Department of Agriculture 1906 (pdf) Ontario Department of
Agriculture
This department produced many bulletins on the agriculture of Ontario
which helped many farmers and here we are listing some of these that
we've found in our research. In Search of Plenty
The first century of the Agriculture Canada research arm Ontario Agricultural College and
Experimental Farm
Grasses of Ontario by F. C. Harrison and G. E. Day (1896) (pdf) Farming in Vancouver Island
A Land and Climate unequalled for Mixed Farming, Dairying, Fruit
Growing, Poultry Raising and Outdoor Life by the Vancouver Island Fruit
Lands, Limited (1911) (pdf) Practical suggestions as to
instruction in Farming in the United States and Canada
A Self-supporting Occupation and Opening in Life for Gentlemen's Sons
and a prudent way of starting for any who desire to engage in
agriculture in America (1882) (pdf) Diversified Farming is Safe Farming
By J. G. Haney (1929) (pdf) Fruit Farming
In the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia by the Land & Agricultural Co.
of Canada (1912) (pdf) Fruit Farming in Ontario, Canada
Prepared by direction of the Hon. James S. Duff, Minister of Agriculture
for the Province of Ontario, 1911 (pdf) Paris Foundary and Agricultural Works
Established 1859 (pdf) Rennie's Agriculture in Canada
Modern principles of agriculture applicable to Canadian farming to yield
greater profit by Wm. Rennie, Sr., Late of the O.A.C., Guelph (1916)
(pdf) Notes made during a visit to the United
States and Canada in 1831
By Mr Fergusson of Woodhill from the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture,
No. XVI. (pdf) Profitable Poultry Farming
New Edition, Bulletin No. 7, Published by direction of the Hon. Sydney
A. Fisher, Minister of Agriculture, Ottawa, May 1905 (pdf) A Study of Pioneer Farming in the
Fringe Areas of the Peace River, Alberta, 1942
By B. K. Acton and C. C Spence (1947) (pdf) A practical farm root cellar
by Dept. of Agriculture, Canada (1940) (pdf) Domestic Rabbits
Raising for meat and fur (pdf) Bush Fruits of Eastern Canada
By D. S. Blair (1950) (pdf) Canadian Forests
Forest Trees, Timber and Forest Products by H. B. Small (1884) (pdf) Canadian Timber Trees
Their Distribution and Preservation by A. T. Drummond (1879) (pdf) Twenty Canadian Trees
By the Canadian Forestry Association (pdf) Survivors of the Forest in
Toronto
A Paper read before the Canadian Institute, November 25th, 1893, by the
Rev. Henry Scadding, D.D. (pdf) The Geographical Distribution
of Forest Trees in Canada
By Dr. Robert Bell, F.R.S. (1897) (pdf) Letters of Agricola
On the Principles of Vegetation and Tillage, written for Nova Scotia,
and published first in "The Acadian Recorder", by John Young, Secretary
of the Provincial Agricultural Board, and Honorary Member of the
Massachusetts and Montreal Agricultural Societies. (1822) (pdf) History of the Grange in Canada
By Members of the Dominion Grange (1876) (pdf) OAC Review
June 1927 Colonization and Immigration By W. J. Black, and other
articles (pdf) Native Trees of Canada
By B. R. Morton, B.Sc.F., With notes on nomenclature and utilization by
R. G. Lewis B.Sc.F. (1921) (pdf) Fisheries Statistics 1920
Prepared in collaboration with Dominion and Provincial Fisheries
Departments (pdf) Canada
A. brief outline of her Geographical position, productions, climate,
capabilities, education and municipal institutions, &c., &c., &c. This
Pamphlet has received the approval of the Bureau of Agriculture, and is
intended for extensive circulation in Great Britain and Ireland and the
Continent of Europe, in the hope that "Canada” as a distinct and
important portion of “North America” may thus become better known.
(1857) (pdf) Picard Peanuts
Ontario’s original peanut shop
Harvesting 1000s of morel mushrooms in the Canadian
wildfire wilderness
Morel mushrooms are by far my favourite mushroom to eat! In June 2024 I
travelled to British Columbia in Canada to meet up with some commercial
mushroom foragers and we found SO many!
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