150 years of Canadian Agriculture
Release date: June 27, 2017
Description: 150 years of Canadian Agriculture
Since Confederation (1867), the number of agricultural operations in Canada has shrunk, but agricultural operations have grown in acreage and sales.
| Year | Total number of farms | Average acres per farm |
|---|---|---|
| Note: 1871 to 1951 Census done every 10 years. 1956 to 2016 Census done every 5 years. | ||
| 1871 | 367,862 | 98 |
| 1881 | 464,025 | 98 |
| 1891 | 620,486 | 97 |
| 1901 | 511,073 | 124 |
| 1911 | 682,329 | 160 |
| 1921 | 711,090 | 198 |
| 1931 | 728,623 | 224 |
| 1941 | 732,832 | 237 |
| 1951 | 623,087 | 279 |
| 1956 | 574,993 | 302 |
| 1961 | 480,877 | 359 |
| 1966 | 430,503 | 404 |
| 1971 | 366,110 | 463 |
| 1976 | 338,552 | 499 |
| 1981 | 318,361 | 511 |
| 1986 | 293,089 | 572 |
| 1991 | 280,043 | 598 |
| 1996 | 276,548 | 608 |
| 2001 | 246,923 | 676 |
| 2006 | 229,373 | 728 |
| 2011 | 205,730 | 778 |
| 2016 | 193,492 | 820 |
An average farm had:
- In 1871 4 pigs, 7 head of cattle, and 33 acres of cropland.
- In 2016 73 pigs, 65 head of cattle, and 483 acres of cropland.
What's changed in 150 years?
Canada had 14 times as much wheat, 10 times as many pigs and 5 times as many cattle in 2016 as in 1871.
| Year | Total farm sales in Canada | Average sales per farm |
|---|---|---|
| Note: In 1900, one dozen eggs cost $0.26, and one loaf of bread cost $0.04.Footnote 1 | ||
| 1900 | $364.9 million | $714 |
| 2015 | $69.4 billion | $358,503 |
From horses to horsepower - There were 3 times more horses in 1871 as in 2016.
| Year | Average value of equipment and machinery per farm |
|---|---|
| 1901 | $213 |
| 1951 | $3,103 |
| 1976 | $26,685 |
| 2001 | $134,125 |
| 2016 | $278,405 |
Source: Census of Agriculture, 1871 to 2016. Bank of Canada-Purchasing power of the Canadian dollar.
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