Farm cash receipts

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Farm cash receipts received by Canadian farmers totalled $43.8 billion in 2010, down 1.7% from a year earlier, but 6.7% above the previous five-year average. Farm cash receipts include crop and livestock revenues plus program payments.

Receipts fell in all provinces except Ontario (+3.5%), Newfoundland and Labrador (+3.1%) and Nova Scotia (+2.9%). The largest declines occurred in Alberta (-5.9%) and Quebec (-3.9%).

Market receipts, which include revenue from the sale of crops and livestock, but exclude program payments, amounted to $40.7 billion in 2010, down 1.5% from 2009.

Crop receipts declined 6.3% to $21.9 billion in 2010, their lowest level since 2007, while livestock receipts increased 4.7% to $18.8 billion.

Receipts from wheat including durum declined 36.6%, as prices decreased by 29.3% and marketings fell by 10.3%. The 2010 weighted average price for most grains and oilseeds fell for the second consecutive year, despite price increases since late last summer.

Farm cash receipts for potatoes fell 11.2% from their peak in 2009 to $1.0 billion in 2010, as both production and prices retreated.

Newfoundland and Labrador (+8.7%), Ontario (+6.1%) and Nova Scotia (+4.4%) reported increases in crop receipts. All three reported strong increases in cash receipts for horticultural crops. Farmers in Ontario also reported a 12.7% increase in corn receipts.

Livestock receipts increased, largely the result of higher cattle and hog prices. All provinces reported increases except British Columbia, where receipts fell 2.2% as a result of lower cattle and chicken receipts.

Hog receipts rose 15.7% to $3.3 billion, as prices rose 19.3% to their highest level since 2005. However, marketings fell 3.0% to their lowest level since 2002. At the end of 2010, there were 5.6% fewer hog farms in Canada than at the end of 2009. Some contributing factors to the reduction were the Cull Breeding Swine Program, the United States Country of Origin Labelling legislation, and poor market returns.

Cattle and calf receipts were up 5.4%, mainly as a result of a 5.1% increase in prices. Ample feed grain supplies, the strength of the Canadian dollar in relation to the US dollar, and the affects of the Country of Origin Labelling regulations have encouraged the finishing of beef cattle in Canada rather than exporting them to the United States for finishing.

Receipts from supply-managed commodities (dairy, poultry and eggs), which make up more than 43% of total livestock receipts, edged down 0.1%. A 3.8% decline in poultry receipts more than offset increases from dairy (+0.7%) and eggs (+7.2%).

Program payments declined 4.5% to $3.1 billion. The major contributor to the decline was the drop in provincial program payments in Quebec. Higher crop insurance payments, particularly in Saskatchewan, cushioned the decrease.

Note: All data are in current dollars. Farm cash receipts measures gross revenue for farm businesses. They do not represent their bottom line, as farmers have to pay their expenses and loans and cover depreciation. Preliminary information on net farm income for 2010 will be available in May 2011. Net farm income for 2009 was released on November 25, 2010.

Available on CANSIM: tables 002-0001 and 002-0002.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey numbers, including related surveys, 3437 and 3473.

A data table is also available from the Summary tables module of our website.

To order data, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-465-1991; fax: 613-951-3868; agriculture@statcan.gc.ca). For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Bernie Rosien (613-951-2466; bernie.rosien@statcan.gc.ca), or Gail-Ann Breese (204-983-3445; gail-ann.breese@statcan.gc.ca), Agriculture Division.