Farm cash receipts

View the most recent version.

Farm cash receipts for Canadian farmers were up 11.2% to $49.4 billion in 2011 from 2010. The increase follows two consecutive declines, in 2009 and 2010. Farm cash receipts include market receipts from the sale of crops and livestock as well as program payments.

Farm cash receipts, January to December

Chart description: Farm cash receipts, January to December

Receipts rose in every province with increases ranging from 0.8% in Manitoba to 19.5% in Saskatchewan.

Market receipts were up 11.2% to $46.0 billion. Crop receipts, which increased 13.3% to $25.4 billion, made up more than half of total farm cash receipts for the third consecutive year. Livestock receipts rose 8.7% to $20.6 billion, the largest year-over-year gain since 2001.

Receipts rose for most grains and oilseeds, primarily because of higher prices. Canola and wheat recorded the largest increases in terms of dollar value. Canola receipts increased 30.6%, or $1.7 billion, to $7.3 billion. Wheat receipts were up 31.5%, or $1.2 billion, to $5.1 billion.

On average, canola prices were 26.8% higher in 2011 than in 2010, while wheat prices were up 34.6%. Canola was the highest grossing crop in Canada for the second year in a row.

Grain and oilseed prices began climbing in the latter half of 2010 as a result of limited global stocks and strong demand. Prices peaked in mid-2011, but have since abated as concerns over stocks have lessened with new and upcoming production.

The increase in crop receipts was slowed by a $2.0 billion deferral of grain receipt payments from 2011 into 2012. This was $845 million higher than the deferral in 2010.

The only province to record a decline in crop receipts in 2011 was Manitoba, down 8.8%. The province experienced tough growing conditions in both 2010 and 2011, with consecutive production declines of more than 20% for both wheat and canola.

On the livestock side, higher prices were also the main reason behind rising receipts. Prices for hogs and for cattle and calves, which started rising in spring 2010, continued to increase throughout 2011, primarily because of low North American inventories and high feed grain costs.

Hog receipts increased 14.9% to $3.9 billion. The average price for hogs in 2011, which was 14.5% higher than it was in 2010, reached its highest level since 2001.

Receipts for cattle and calves rose 5.8% to $6.5 billion, as a 20.5% increase in price more than offset a 10.6% decline in the number of head marketed. Lower on-farm inventories limited the supply of market animals. As a result, the number of cattle and calves sold for domestic slaughter declined 7.5%, while international exports fell 34.7%.

In the supply-managed sector (dairy, poultry, eggs), farm cash receipts rose 7.9%, mainly a result of higher prices as feed grain and other production costs increased.

Chicken receipts rose 14.9% to $2.3 billion, while dairy receipts increased 5.3% to $5.8 billion. Supply-managed commodities accounted for almost 45% of total livestock receipts.

Program payments were up 11.2% to $3.5 billion. The main contributors to the rise were increases in crop insurance payments in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba, which were primarily a result of unseeded acreage from excess moisture, as well as increases in provincial program payments in Quebec.

Note: All data are in current dollars. Farm cash receipts measure gross revenue for farm businesses. They do not represent their bottom line, as farmers have to pay their expenses and loans and cover depreciation.

The Farm Input Price Index released on January 17, 2012, reported that Canadian farm input prices increased 9.9% between the third quarter of 2010 and the third quarter of 2011.

Preliminary information on net farm income for 2011 will be available in May.

Available without charge in CANSIM: tables 002-0001 and 002-0002.

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

Additional data tables are available from the Summary tables module of our website.

For more information, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-465-1991; agriculture@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Stephen Boyd (613-951-1875; stephen.boyd@statcan.gc.ca) or Annette Laurent (613-951-2306; annette.laurent@statcan.gc.ca), Agriculture Division.