Farm cash receipts, January to September, 2023
Released: 2023-11-28
$72.5 billion
January to September 2023
7.9% 
(year-over-year change)
Farm cash receipts for Canadian farmers totalled $72.5 billion over the first three quarters of 2023, up 7.9% (+$5.3 billion) from the same period in 2022, as receipts for crops and livestock rose, while program payments fell.
The return to normal production levels pushed crop receipts up $4.5 billion to $41.4 billion due to the gain in marketings and despite a drop in prices. Meanwhile, cattle and supply-managed prices were up, resulting in a $2.2 billion increase in total livestock receipts to $27.2 billion.
Conversely, program payments declined $1.4 billion to $4.0 billion after hitting record highs in 2022. Crop insurance payments led this decrease as payments moved closer toward the five-year average.
Chart 1
Total crop, livestock and direct payment receipts as a proportion of total farm cash receipts, January to September, Canada, 2013 to 2023
Every province recorded a rise in total receipts. Saskatchewan posted the strongest growth, with total receipts up $2.3 billion to $16.5 billion, accounting for over 40% of the national increase.
Chart 2
Farm cash receipts by category, by province or region, January to September, 2023
Canola and wheat boost total crop receipts
Total crop receipts in the first three quarters were up 12.1% to $41.4 billion compared with the same period in 2022. Receipts for canola, wheat (excluding durum) and durum wheat led the way in the first three quarters of 2023, accounting for over three-quarters of the growth in total crop receipts.
Higher marketings for canola (+40.1%), wheat (excluding durum) (+31.1%) and durum wheat (+73.0%) drove up crop receipts. The increase in marketings was due to a return to normal production levels in the 2022 crop year, following the severe drought in Western Canada in 2021.
In the first three quarters of 2023, prices fell 15.5% for canola, 8.9% for wheat (excluding durum) and 17.9% for durum wheat, although they were still higher than their five-year average.
Livestock receipts up on higher cattle receipts
Livestock receipts rose 8.9% to $27.2 billion during the first three quarters of 2023 due to increases in the cattle and supply-managed sectors.
The gain in cattle receipts (+$1.8 billion) contributed to more than 80% of the total increase in livestock receipts. Cattle receipts ($9.8 billion) were up due to a rise in prices in both cattle slaughter (+28.2%) and international exports (+24.0%). These price increases were caused by strong demand in Canadian and US markets and higher input costs for producers.
Supply-managed receipts grew 7.2% to $11.2 billion and accounted for just over 40% of total livestock receipts. Dairy receipts were up $312.2 million to $6.4 billion on the strength of higher prices driven by production cost increases. Both marketings and prices pushed receipts for chickens for meat up $286.4 million to $3.1 billion.
Despite a small increase in marketings, the 11.8% decrease in price led to a drop in hog receipts (-11.2%) to $4.5 billion. Hog slaughter accounted for over three-quarters of this decrease.
Crop insurance payments drop following record year
Total direct payments, although they remained high, decreased $1.4 billion to $4.0 billion. Most of the drop was attributable to lower crop insurance payments, which had been high in 2022 as a result of the drought in 2021. This decline primarily affected the Prairie provinces, with drops in crop insurance payments in Alberta (-$775.2 million), Saskatchewan (-$429.8 million) and Manitoba (-$249.2 million).
Note to readers
Farm cash receipts for January to December 2023 will be released on February 29, 2024.
Every five years, following the Census of Agriculture, the methods and concepts used to estimate the farm income series are reviewed. Estimates for farm income integrate a wide variety of administrative and survey data from many diverse sources. Consequently, this review is used as an opportunity to improve data sources, coverage and estimation methods. As a result of this review, revisions back to 2015 are now available and are reflected in the data in this release.
All data in this release are in current dollars. Farm cash receipts measure the gross revenue of farm businesses. They include sales of crops and livestock products (except sales between farms in the same province) and program payments. Receipts are recorded when the money is paid to farmers. These do not represent their bottom line, as farmers have to pay their expenses and loans and cover depreciation.
Farm cash receipts are, for the most part, based on monthly marketings and the monthly prices of various commodities. Marketings are quantities sold, using various units of measure.
Data are extracted from administrative files and derived from other Statistics Canada surveys and/or other sources. These data are subject to revision.
For details on farm cash receipts and net farm income for 2022, see the "Farm income" release in today's Daily.
For the latest information on the Census of Agriculture, visit the Census of Agriculture portal.
For more information on agriculture and food, visit the Agriculture and food statistics portal.
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).
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