Section 2 - Agricultural perspectives from seven censuses, Canada and provinces: census years 1976 to 2006

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  • Canada
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Nova Scotia
  • New Brunswick
  • Quebec

  • Ontario
  • Manitoba
  • Saskatchewan
  • Alberta
  • British Columbia

    • Canada

    Table 2.5
    Total land area and use of farm land, Canada and provinces, census years 1976 to 2006
    Canada 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 1976 to 2006 1981 to 2006 1986 to 2006 1991 to 2006 1996 to 2006 2001 to 2006
     Empty cell percentage change
    Total land area  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 2,278,552,320 2,278,552,320 2,278,552,320 2,278,552,320 2,278,552,320 2,278,552,320 2,278,552,320 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Hectares 922,097,313 922,097,313 922,097,313 922,097,313 922,097,313 922,097,313 922,097,313 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Total area of farms 1  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 169,082,181 162,815,073 167,601,113 167,423,057 168,167,475 166,802,197 167,010,491 -1.2 2.6 -0.4 -0.2 -0.7 0.1
    Hectares 68,425,124 65,888,916 67,825,757 67,753,700 68,054,956 67,502,447 67,586,741 -1.2 2.6 -0.4 -0.2 -0.7 0.1
    Farms reporting 338,552 318,361 293,089 280,043 276,548 246,923 229,373 -32.2 -28.0 -21.7 -18.1 -17.1 -7.1
    Percentage of total farms 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 499 511 572 598 608 676 728 45.8 42.4 27.3 21.8 19.7 7.8
    Land in crops 2  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 70,038,204 76,518,197 81,992,625 82,799,535 86,286,078 89,934,387 88,741,106 26.7 16.0 8.2 7.2 2.8 -1.3
    Hectares 28,343,453 30,965,812 33,181,235 33,507,780 34,918,733 36,395,151 35,912,247 26.7 16.0 8.2 7.2 2.8 -1.3
    Farms reporting 312,302 291,879 264,141 248,147 237,760 215,581 194,717 -37.7 -33.3 -26.3 -21.5 -18.1 -9.7
    Percentage of total farms 92.2 91.7 90.1 88.6 86.0 87.3 84.9 -7.9 -7.4 -5.8 -4.2 -1.3 -2.7
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 224 262 310 334 363 417 456 103.6 74.0 47.1 36.5 25.6 9.4
    Summerfallow land 3  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 26,983,608 23,973,934 21,001,527 19,573,092 15,470,590 11,565,518 8,662,461 -67.9 -63.9 -58.8 -55.7 -44.0 -25.1
    Hectares 10,919,878 9,701,906 8,499,016 7,920,948 6,260,725 4,680,399 3,505,573 -67.9 -63.9 -58.8 -55.7 -44.0 -25.1
    Farms reporting 134,225 115,330 100,409 80,834 64,819 50,671 32,345 -75.9 -72.0 -67.8 -60.0 -50.1 -36.2
    Percentage of total farms 39.6 36.2 34.3 28.9 23.4 20.5 14.1 -64.4 -61.0 -58.9 -51.2 -39.7 -31.2
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 201 208 209 242 239 228 268 33.3 28.9 28.1 10.7 12.3 17.4
    Tame or seeded pasture 4  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 10,041,031 10,884,318 8,795,013 10,233,180 10,746,949 11,872,170 14,071,138 40.1 29.3 60.0 37.5 30.9 18.5
    Hectares 4,063,461 4,404,727 3,559,215 4,141,221 4,349,136 4,804,496 5,694,387 40.1 29.3 60.0 37.5 30.9 18.5
    Farms reporting 133,383 130,471 95,386 89,980 89,570 82,830 75,894 -43.1 -41.8 -20.4 -15.7 -15.3 -8.4
    Percentage of total farms 39.4 41.0 32.5 32.1 32.4 33.5 33.1 -16.0 -19.3 1.8 3.1 2.2 -1.2
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 75 83 92 114 120 143 185 146.3 122.2 101.1 63.0 54.5 29.4
    All other land 1,5,6  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 62,019,338 51,439,593 55,811,948 54,817,250 55,663,858 53,430,122 55,535,786 -10.5 8.0 -0.5 1.3 -0.2 3.9
    Hectares 25,098,333 20,816,863 22,586,292 22,183,752 22,526,362 21,622,401 22,474,533 -10.5 8.0 -0.5 1.3 -0.2 3.9
    Farms reporting 300,228 277,391 253,924 248,855 250,403 215,824 200,380 -33.3 -27.8 -21.1 -19.5 -20.0 -7.2
    Percentage of total farms 88.7 87.1 86.6 88.9 90.5 87.4 87.4 -1.5 0.3 0.9 -1.7 -3.5 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 207 185 220 220 222 248 277 33.9 49.8 26.0 25.8 24.7 12.0

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

    In 1981 data in the land use tables may not add exactly in some cases due to rounding.

    In British Columbia the "Total area of farms," "Area leased from governments," "Unimproved pasture" and "All other land" are higher than in previous censuses due to better quality data on government lands operated under a licence, permit or lease.

    1. In 1981, the area of "Unimproved land" was under-reported in the four western provinces. This affected the "Total area of farms" for each of the western provinces and for Canada.
    2. In 1976, "Land in crops" included field crops, vegetables, fruits and nursery crops. Since 1981, the definition of "Land in crops" has been expanded to include sod.
    3. Traditionally, the data for summerfallow land are overstated in geographic areas where the practice is not common. However, a question added since 1991 on the use of weed control methods on summerfallow land significantly reduced the extent of over-reporting.
    4. Since 1996, the term "Tame or seeded pasture" replaced "Improved land for pasture or grazing" used previously. Consequently, some respondents may have reported differently since 1996, thereby affecting the comparability of data with previous censuses.
    5. Since 1976, the area of "All other land" is the sum of the areas reported for all of the remaining land-use categories in each of the seven censuses. Since 1996, the area of Christmas trees has been included with "All other land." Since 2006, a separate question about woodlands and wetlands was added and is also included in "All other land."
    6. In 1996 and 2001, some operators reported unplanted land intended for crops as idle land (a component of "All other land"), since at the time of the Census of Agriculture they were uncertain as to whether this land would be planted.

    Source

    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

    Newfoundland and Labrador

    Table 2.5
    Total land area and use of farm land, Canada and provinces, census years 1976 to 2006
    Newfoundland and Labrador 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 1976 to 2006 1981 to 2006 1986 to 2006 1991 to 2006 1996 to 2006 2001 to 2006
     Empty cell percentage change
    Total land area  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 91,833,600 91,833,600 91,833,600 91,833,600 91,833,600 91,833,600 91,833,600 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Hectares 37,163,736 37,163,736 37,163,736 37,163,736 37,163,736 37,163,736 37,163,736 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Total area of farms 1  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 80,058 82,667 90,345 117,011 108,320 100,271 89,441 11.7 8.2 -1.0 -23.6 -17.4 -10.8
    Hectares 32,398 33,454 36,561 47,353 43,836 40,578 36,195 11.7 8.2 -1.0 -23.6 -17.4 -10.8
    Farms reporting 878 679 651 725 742 643 558 -36.4 -17.8 -14.3 -23.0 -24.8 -13.2
    Percentage of total farms 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 91 122 139 161 146 156 160 75.8 31.7 15.5 -0.7 9.8 2.8
    Land in crops 2  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 10,627 11,722 12,049 15,503 17,742 20,843 22,671 113.3 93.4 88.2 46.2 27.8 8.8
    Hectares 4,301 4,744 4,876 6,274 7,180 8,435 9,175 113.3 93.4 88.2 46.2 27.8 8.8
    Farms reporting 682 534 431 468 502 477 404 -40.8 -24.3 -6.3 -13.7 -19.5 -15.3
    Percentage of total farms 77.7 78.6 66.2 64.6 67.7 74.2 72.4 -6.8 -7.9 9.4 12.1 6.9 -2.4
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 16 22 28 33 35 44 56 260.1 155.6 100.7 69.4 58.8 28.4
    Summerfallow land 3  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 432 884 951 359 236 281 167 -61.3 -81.1 -82.4 -53.5 -29.2 -40.6
    Hectares 175 358 385 145 96 114 68 -61.3 -81.1 -82.4 -53.5 -29.2 -40.6
    Farms reporting 36 67 85 27 29 28 18 -50.0 -73.1 -78.8 -33.3 -37.9 -35.7
    Percentage of total farms 4.1 9.9 13.1 3.7 3.9 4.4 3.2 -22.0 -67.7 -75.6 -13.5 -17.9 -27.3
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 12 13 11 13 8 10 9 -22.7 -29.7 -17.1 -30.2 14.0 -7.6
    Tame or seeded pasture 4  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 14,385 10,249 9,444 11,382 5,834 6,251 5,801 -59.7 -43.4 -38.6 -49.0 -0.6 -7.2
    Hectares 5,821 4,148 3,822 4,606 2,361 2,530 2,348 -59.7 -43.4 -38.6 -49.0 -0.6 -7.2
    Farms reporting 269 242 223 251 142 137 96 -64.3 -60.3 -57.0 -61.8 -32.4 -29.9
    Percentage of total farms 30.6 35.6 34.3 34.6 19.1 21.3 17.2 -43.8 -51.7 -49.9 -50.3 -9.9 -19.2
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 53 42 42 45 41 46 60 13.0 42.7 42.7 33.3 47.1 32.4
    All other land 1,5,6  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 54,614 59,817 67,901 89,767 84,508 72,896 60,802 11.3 1.6 -10.5 -32.3 -28.1 -16.6
    Hectares 22,101 24,207 27,479 36,327 34,199 29,500 24,606 11.3 1.6 -10.5 -32.3 -28.1 -16.6
    Farms reporting 629 513 547 663 652 559 496 -21.1 -3.3 -9.3 -25.2 -23.9 -11.3
    Percentage of total farms 71.6 75.6 84.0 91.4 87.9 86.9 88.9 24.1 17.6 5.8 -2.7 1.1 2.3
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 87 117 124 135 130 130 123 40.9 4.8 -1.1 -9.2 -5.4 -5.7

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

    In 1981 data in the land use tables may not add exactly in some cases due to rounding.

    In British Columbia the "Total area of farms," "Area leased from governments," "Unimproved pasture" and "All other land" are higher than in previous censuses due to better quality data on government lands operated under a licence, permit or lease.

    1. In 1981, the area of "Unimproved land" was under-reported in the four western provinces. This affected the "Total area of farms" for each of the western provinces and for Canada.
    2. In 1976, "Land in crops" included field crops, vegetables, fruits and nursery crops. Since 1981, the definition of "Land in crops" has been expanded to include sod.
    3. Traditionally, the data for summerfallow land are overstated in geographic areas where the practice is not common. However, a question added since 1991 on the use of weed control methods on summerfallow land significantly reduced the extent of over-reporting.
    4. Since 1996, the term "Tame or seeded pasture" replaced "Improved land for pasture or grazing" used previously. Consequently, some respondents may have reported differently since 1996, thereby affecting the comparability of data with previous censuses.
    5. Since 1976, the area of "All other land" is the sum of the areas reported for all of the remaining land-use categories in each of the seven censuses. Since 1996, the area of Christmas trees has been included with "All other land." Since 2006, a separate question about woodlands and wetlands was added and is also included in "All other land."
    6. In 1996 and 2001, some operators reported unplanted land intended for crops as idle land (a component of "All other land"), since at the time of the Census of Agriculture they were uncertain as to whether this land would be planted.

    Source

    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

    Prince Edward Island

    Table 2.5
    Total land area and use of farm land, Canada and provinces, census years 1976 to 2006
    Prince Edward Island 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 1976 to 2006 1981 to 2006 1986 to 2006 1991 to 2006 1996 to 2006 2001 to 2006
     Empty cell percentage change
    Total land area  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 1,399,040 1,399,040 1,399,040 1,399,040 1,399,040 1,399,040 1,399,040 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Hectares 566,171 566,171 566,171 566,171 566,171 566,171 566,171 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Total area of farms 1  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 731,035 699,367 673,196 639,693 655,365 646,137 619,885 -15.2 -11.4 -7.9 -3.1 -5.4 -4.1
    Hectares 295,839 283,024 272,433 258,875 265,217 261,482 250,859 -15.2 -11.4 -7.9 -3.1 -5.4 -4.1
    Farms reporting 3,677 3,154 2,833 2,361 2,217 1,845 1,700 -53.8 -46.1 -40.0 -28.0 -23.3 -7.9
    Percentage of total farms 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 199 222 238 271 296 350 365 83.4 64.4 53.5 34.6 23.4 4.1
    Land in crops 2  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 391,534 391,118 386,715 380,796 420,971 433,641 423,281 8.1 8.2 9.5 11.2 0.5 -2.4
    Hectares 158,448 158,280 156,498 154,103 170,361 175,488 171,296 8.1 8.2 9.5 11.2 0.5 -2.4
    Farms reporting 3,525 2,955 2,511 2,090 1,938 1,684 1,524 -56.8 -48.4 -39.3 -27.1 -21.4 -9.5
    Percentage of total farms 95.9 93.7 88.6 88.5 87.4 91.3 89.6 -6.6 -4.4 1.1 1.2 2.5 -1.9
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 111 132 154 182 217 258 278 150.1 109.8 80.3 52.4 27.9 7.9
    Summerfallow land 3  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 5,791 7,481 6,541 2,464 903 520 571 -90.1 -92.4 -91.3 -76.8 -36.8 9.8
    Hectares 2,344 3,027 2,647 997 365 210 231 -90.1 -92.4 -91.3 -76.8 -36.8 9.8
    Farms reporting 169 210 182 87 37 31 31 -81.7 -85.2 -83.0 -64.4 -16.2 0.0
    Percentage of total farms 4.6 6.7 6.4 3.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 -60.9 -73.1 -71.9 -51.4 5.9 5.9
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 34 36 36 28 24 17 18 -46.2 -48.3 -48.7 -35.0 -24.5 9.8
    Tame or seeded pasture 4  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 95,787 89,521 55,899 47,636 29,221 29,192 26,803 -72.0 -70.1 -52.1 -43.7 -8.3 -8.2
    Hectares 38,764 36,228 22,622 19,278 11,825 11,814 10,847 -72.0 -70.1 -52.1 -43.7 -8.3 -8.2
    Farms reporting 2,423 2,137 1,362 1,014 681 750 554 -77.1 -74.1 -59.3 -45.4 -18.6 -26.1
    Percentage of total farms 65.9 67.8 48.1 42.9 30.7 40.7 32.6 -50.5 -51.9 -32.2 -24.0 6.2 -19.9
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 40 42 41 47 43 39 48 22.4 15.5 17.9 3.0 12.8 24.3
    All other land 1,5,6  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 237,923 211,247 224,041 208,797 204,270 182,784 169,230 -28.9 -19.9 -24.5 -18.9 -17.2 -7.4
    Hectares 96,284 85,489 90,666 84,497 82,665 73,970 68,485 -28.9 -19.9 -24.5 -18.9 -17.2 -7.4
    Farms reporting 3,331 2,815 2,569 2,164 2,037 1,677 1,555 -53.3 -44.8 -39.5 -28.1 -23.7 -7.3
    Percentage of total farms 90.6 89.3 90.7 91.7 91.9 90.9 91.5 1.0 2.4 0.8 -0.3 -0.5 0.6
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 71 75 87 96 100 109 109 53.3 45.1 25.1 12.8 8.5 -0.2

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

    In 1981 data in the land use tables may not add exactly in some cases due to rounding.

    In British Columbia the "Total area of farms," "Area leased from governments," "Unimproved pasture" and "All other land" are higher than in previous censuses due to better quality data on government lands operated under a licence, permit or lease.

    1. In 1981, the area of "Unimproved land" was under-reported in the four western provinces. This affected the "Total area of farms" for each of the western provinces and for Canada.
    2. In 1976, "Land in crops" included field crops, vegetables, fruits and nursery crops. Since 1981, the definition of "Land in crops" has been expanded to include sod.
    3. Traditionally, the data for summerfallow land are overstated in geographic areas where the practice is not common. However, a question added since 1991 on the use of weed control methods on summerfallow land significantly reduced the extent of over-reporting.
    4. Since 1996, the term "Tame or seeded pasture" replaced "Improved land for pasture or grazing" used previously. Consequently, some respondents may have reported differently since 1996, thereby affecting the comparability of data with previous censuses.
    5. Since 1976, the area of "All other land" is the sum of the areas reported for all of the remaining land-use categories in each of the seven censuses. Since 1996, the area of Christmas trees has been included with "All other land." Since 2006, a separate question about woodlands and wetlands was added and is also included in "All other land."
    6. In 1996 and 2001, some operators reported unplanted land intended for crops as idle land (a component of "All other land"), since at the time of the Census of Agriculture they were uncertain as to whether this land would be planted.

    Source

    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

    Nova Scotia

    Table 2.5
    Total land area and use of farm land, Canada and provinces, census years 1976 to 2006
    Nova Scotia 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 1976 to 2006 1981 to 2006 1986 to 2006 1991 to 2006 1996 to 2006 2001 to 2006
     Empty cell percentage change
    Total land area  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 13,057,280 13,057,280 13,057,280 13,057,280 13,057,280 13,057,280 13,057,280 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Hectares 5,284,093 5,284,093 5,284,093 5,284,093 5,284,093 5,284,093 5,284,093 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Total area of farms 1  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 1,218,953 1,151,567 1,029,211 981,086 1,055,941 1,005,833 995,943 -18.3 -13.5 -3.2 1.5 -5.7 -1.0
    Hectares 493,293 466,023 416,507 397,031 427,324 407,046 403,044 -18.3 -13.5 -3.2 1.5 -5.7 -1.0
    Farms reporting 5,434 5,045 4,283 3,980 4,453 3,923 3,795 -30.2 -24.8 -11.4 -4.6 -14.8 -3.3
    Percentage of total farms 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 224 228 240 247 237 256 262 17.0 15.0 9.2 6.5 10.7 2.4
    Land in crops 2  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 275,934 278,690 270,609 262,503 277,658 294,596 288,146 4.4 3.4 6.5 9.8 3.8 -2.2
    Hectares 111,667 112,782 109,512 106,231 112,364 119,219 116,609 4.4 3.4 6.5 9.8 3.8 -2.2
    Farms reporting 4,666 4,363 3,459 3,209 3,277 3,122 3,025 -35.2 -30.7 -12.5 -5.7 -7.7 -3.1
    Percentage of total farms 85.9 86.5 80.8 80.6 73.6 79.6 79.7 -7.2 -7.9 -1.4 -1.1 8.3 0.1
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 59 64 78 82 85 94 95 61.1 49.1 21.8 16.4 12.4 0.9
    Summerfallow land 3  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 7,189 12,735 9,663 2,930 1,431 1,505 2,675 -62.8 -79.0 -72.3 -8.7 86.9 77.7
    Hectares 2,909 5,154 3,910 1,186 579 609 1,083 -62.8 -79.0 -72.3 -8.7 86.9 77.7
    Farms reporting 270 533 385 153 104 83 93 -65.6 -82.6 -75.8 -39.2 -10.6 12.0
    Percentage of total farms 5.0 10.6 9.0 3.8 2.3 2.1 2.5 -50.0 -76.4 -72.2 -34.2 8.7 19.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 27 24 25 19 14 18 29 8.0 20.4 14.6 50.2 109.0 58.6
    Tame or seeded pasture 4  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 104,890 113,930 89,542 75,918 61,788 56,520 57,775 -44.9 -49.3 -35.5 -23.9 -6.5 2.2
    Hectares 42,447 46,106 36,236 30,723 25,005 22,873 23,381 -44.9 -49.3 -35.5 -23.9 -6.5 2.2
    Farms reporting 2,788 2,850 1,920 1,735 1,331 1,193 1,158 -58.5 -59.4 -39.7 -33.3 -13.0 -2.9
    Percentage of total farms 51.3 56.5 44.8 43.6 29.9 30.4 30.5 -40.5 -46.0 -31.9 -30.0 2.0 0.3
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 38 40 47 44 46 47 50 32.6 24.8 7.0 14.0 7.5 5.3
    All other land 1,5,6  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 830,940 746,250 659,397 639,735 715,064 653,212 647,347 -22.1 -13.3 -1.8 1.2 -9.5 -0.9
    Hectares 336,269 301,997 266,848 258,892 289,376 264,345 261,971 -22.1 -13.3 -1.8 1.2 -9.5 -0.9
    Farms reporting 5,073 4,602 3,942 3,706 4,159 3,574 3,481 -31.4 -24.4 -11.7 -6.1 -16.3 -2.6
    Percentage of total farms 93.4 91.2 92.0 93.1 93.4 91.1 91.7 -1.8 0.6 -0.3 -1.5 -1.8 0.7
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 164 162 167 173 172 183 186 13.4 14.8 11.4 7.5 8.2 1.7

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

    In 1981 data in the land use tables may not add exactly in some cases due to rounding.

    In British Columbia the "Total area of farms," "Area leased from governments," "Unimproved pasture" and "All other land" are higher than in previous censuses due to better quality data on government lands operated under a licence, permit or lease.

    1. In 1981, the area of "Unimproved land" was under-reported in the four western provinces. This affected the "Total area of farms" for each of the western provinces and for Canada.
    2. In 1976, "Land in crops" included field crops, vegetables, fruits and nursery crops. Since 1981, the definition of "Land in crops" has been expanded to include sod.
    3. Traditionally, the data for summerfallow land are overstated in geographic areas where the practice is not common. However, a question added since 1991 on the use of weed control methods on summerfallow land significantly reduced the extent of over-reporting.
    4. Since 1996, the term "Tame or seeded pasture" replaced "Improved land for pasture or grazing" used previously. Consequently, some respondents may have reported differently since 1996, thereby affecting the comparability of data with previous censuses.
    5. Since 1976, the area of "All other land" is the sum of the areas reported for all of the remaining land-use categories in each of the seven censuses. Since 1996, the area of Christmas trees has been included with "All other land." Since 2006, a separate question about woodlands and wetlands was added and is also included in "All other land."
    6. In 1996 and 2001, some operators reported unplanted land intended for crops as idle land (a component of "All other land"), since at the time of the Census of Agriculture they were uncertain as to whether this land would be planted.

    Source

    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

    New Brunswick

    Table 2.5
    Total land area and use of farm land, Canada and provinces, census years 1976 to 2006
    New Brunswick 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 1976 to 2006 1981 to 2006 1986 to 2006 1991 to 2006 1996 to 2006 2001 to 2006
     Empty cell percentage change
    Total land area  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 17,685,120 17,685,120 17,685,120 17,685,120 17,685,120 17,685,120 17,685,120 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Hectares 7,156,913 7,156,913 7,156,913 7,156,913 7,156,913 7,156,913 7,156,913 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Total area of farms 1  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 1,153,438 1,082,045 1,010,396 928,205 953,873 958,899 976,629 -15.3 -9.7 -3.3 5.2 2.4 1.8
    Hectares 466,780 437,888 408,893 375,631 386,019 388,053 395,228 -15.3 -9.7 -3.3 5.2 2.4 1.8
    Farms reporting 4,551 4,063 3,554 3,252 3,405 3,034 2,776 -39.0 -31.7 -21.9 -14.6 -18.5 -8.5
    Percentage of total farms 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 253 266 284 285 280 316 352 38.8 32.1 23.7 23.3 25.6 11.3
    Land in crops 2  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 338,706 322,538 319,940 302,079 333,611 367,898 375,590 10.9 16.4 17.4 24.3 12.6 2.1
    Hectares 137,069 130,526 129,475 122,247 135,008 148,883 151,996 10.9 16.4 17.4 24.3 12.6 2.1
    Farms reporting 4,033 3,559 2,913 2,587 2,587 2,521 2,256 -44.1 -36.6 -22.6 -12.8 -12.8 -10.5
    Percentage of total farms 88.6 87.6 82.0 79.6 76.0 83.1 81.3 -8.2 -7.2 -0.9 2.1 7.0 -2.2
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 84 91 110 117 129 146 166 98.2 83.7 51.6 42.6 29.1 14.1
    Summerfallow land 3  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 4,615 12,807 10,599 3,833 1,052 1,582 2,122 -54.0 -83.4 -80.0 -44.6 101.7 34.1
    Hectares 1,868 5,183 4,289 1,551 426 640 859 -54.0 -83.4 -80.0 -44.6 101.7 34.1
    Farms reporting 217 410 329 130 95 68 70 -67.7 -82.9 -78.7 -46.2 -26.3 2.9
    Percentage of total farms 4.8 10.1 9.3 4.0 2.8 2.2 2.5 -47.9 -75.2 -73.1 -37.5 -10.7 13.6
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 21 31 32 29 11 23 30 42.5 -3.0 -5.9 2.8 173.8 30.3
    Tame or seeded pasture 4  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 99,448 102,497 67,222 61,896 49,107 44,998 42,039 -57.7 -59.0 -37.5 -32.1 -14.4 -6.6
    Hectares 40,245 41,479 27,204 25,048 19,873 18,210 17,013 -57.7 -59.0 -37.5 -32.1 -14.4 -6.6
    Farms reporting 2,258 2,272 1,449 1,284 919 951 781 -65.4 -65.6 -46.1 -39.2 -15.0 -17.9
    Percentage of total farms 49.6 55.9 40.8 39.5 27.0 31.3 28.1 -43.3 -49.7 -31.1 -28.9 4.1 -10.2
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 44 45 46 48 53 47 54 22.2 19.3 16.0 11.7 0.7 13.8
    All other land 1,5,6  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 710,669 644,238 612,635 560,397 570,103 544,421 556,878 -21.6 -13.6 -9.1 -0.6 -2.3 2.3
    Hectares 287,598 260,714 247,925 226,785 230,712 220,319 225,360 -21.6 -13.6 -9.1 -0.6 -2.3 2.3
    Farms reporting 4,198 3,680 3,318 3,058 3,197 2,765 2,568 -38.8 -30.2 -22.6 -16.0 -19.7 -7.1
    Percentage of total farms 92.2 90.6 93.4 94.0 93.9 91.1 92.5 0.3 2.1 -1.0 -1.6 -1.5 1.5
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 169 175 185 183 178 197 217 28.3 23.9 17.2 18.3 21.6 10.1

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

    In 1981 data in the land use tables may not add exactly in some cases due to rounding.

    In British Columbia the "Total area of farms," "Area leased from governments," "Unimproved pasture" and "All other land" are higher than in previous censuses due to better quality data on government lands operated under a licence, permit or lease.

    1. In 1981, the area of "Unimproved land" was under-reported in the four western provinces. This affected the "Total area of farms" for each of the western provinces and for Canada.
    2. In 1976, "Land in crops" included field crops, vegetables, fruits and nursery crops. Since 1981, the definition of "Land in crops" has been expanded to include sod.
    3. Traditionally, the data for summerfallow land are overstated in geographic areas where the practice is not common. However, a question added since 1991 on the use of weed control methods on summerfallow land significantly reduced the extent of over-reporting.
    4. Since 1996, the term "Tame or seeded pasture" replaced "Improved land for pasture or grazing" used previously. Consequently, some respondents may have reported differently since 1996, thereby affecting the comparability of data with previous censuses.
    5. Since 1976, the area of "All other land" is the sum of the areas reported for all of the remaining land-use categories in each of the seven censuses. Since 1996, the area of Christmas trees has been included with "All other land." Since 2006, a separate question about woodlands and wetlands was added and is also included in "All other land."
    6. In 1996 and 2001, some operators reported unplanted land intended for crops as idle land (a component of "All other land"), since at the time of the Census of Agriculture they were uncertain as to whether this land would be planted.

    Source

    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

    Quebec

    Table 2.5
    Total land area and use of farm land, Canada and provinces, census years 1976 to 2006
    Quebec 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 1976 to 2006 1981 to 2006 1986 to 2006 1991 to 2006 1996 to 2006 2001 to 2006
     Empty cell percentage change
    Total land area  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 335,521,920 335,521,920 335,521,920 335,521,920 335,521,920 335,521,920 335,521,920 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Hectares 135,780,890 135,780,890 135,780,890 135,780,890 135,780,890 135,780,890 135,780,890 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Total area of farms 1  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 9,906,319 9,338,532 8,991,673 8,474,751 8,540,488 8,443,656 8,557,101 -13.6 -8.4 -4.8 1.0 0.2 1.3
    Hectares 4,008,945 3,779,169 3,638,801 3,429,610 3,456,213 3,417,026 3,462,935 -13.6 -8.4 -4.8 1.0 0.2 1.3
    Farms reporting 51,587 48,144 41,448 38,076 35,991 32,139 30,675 -40.5 -36.3 -26.0 -19.4 -14.8 -4.6
    Percentage of total farms 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 192 194 217 223 237 263 279 45.3 43.8 28.6 25.3 17.6 6.2
    Land in crops 2  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 4,565,290 4,339,264 4,310,496 4,048,706 4,296,697 4,571,296 4,777,225 4.6 10.1 10.8 18.0 11.2 4.5
    Hectares 1,847,507 1,756,038 1,744,396 1,638,453 1,738,811 1,849,938 1,933,274 4.6 10.1 10.8 18.0 11.2 4.5
    Farms reporting 48,463 42,646 36,035 31,160 28,676 26,036 23,967 -50.5 -43.8 -33.5 -23.1 -16.4 -7.9
    Percentage of total farms 93.9 88.6 86.9 81.8 79.7 81.0 78.1 -16.8 -11.9 -10.1 -4.5 -2.0 -3.6
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 94 102 120 130 150 176 199 111.6 95.9 66.6 53.4 33.0 13.5
    Summerfallow land 3  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 50,510 131,155 78,586 36,355 21,685 12,009 10,596 -79.0 -91.9 -86.5 -70.9 -51.1 -11.8
    Hectares 20,441 53,077 31,803 14,712 8,776 4,860 4,288 -79.0 -91.9 -86.5 -70.9 -51.1 -11.8
    Farms reporting 1,890 4,651 2,665 1,109 757 551 500 -73.5 -89.2 -81.2 -54.9 -33.9 -9.3
    Percentage of total farms 3.7 9.7 6.4 2.9 2.1 1.7 1.6 -56.8 -83.5 -75.0 -44.8 -23.8 -5.9
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 27 28 29 33 29 22 21 -20.7 -24.8 -28.1 -35.4 -26.0 -2.8
    Tame or seeded pasture 4  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 1,162,172 1,096,059 744,115 669,468 487,627 451,810 364,201 -68.7 -66.8 -51.1 -45.6 -25.3 -19.4
    Hectares 470,314 443,559 301,133 270,924 197,336 182,841 147,387 -68.7 -66.8 -51.1 -45.6 -25.3 -19.4
    Farms reporting 27,418 24,783 16,810 14,238 10,580 10,727 8,194 -70.1 -66.9 -51.3 -42.4 -22.6 -23.6
    Percentage of total farms 53.1 51.5 40.6 37.4 29.4 33.4 26.7 -49.7 -48.2 -34.2 -28.6 -9.2 -20.1
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 42 44 44 47 46 42 44 4.9 0.5 0.4 -5.5 -3.6 5.5
    All other land 1,5,6  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 4,128,347 3,772,326 3,858,476 3,720,222 3,734,479 3,408,541 3,405,079 -17.5 -9.7 -11.8 -8.5 -8.8 -0.1
    Hectares 1,670,683 1,526,606 1,561,470 1,505,520 1,511,290 1,379,381 1,377,987 -17.5 -9.7 -11.8 -8.5 -8.8 -0.1
    Farms reporting 44,107 41,460 36,219 33,929 33,177 28,526 27,411 -37.9 -33.9 -24.3 -19.2 -17.4 -3.9
    Percentage of total farms 85.5 86.1 87.4 89.1 92.2 88.8 89.4 4.5 3.8 2.2 0.3 -3.1 0.6
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 94 91 107 110 113 119 124 32.2 36.5 16.1 13.3 10.4 4.0

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

    In 1981 data in the land use tables may not add exactly in some cases due to rounding.

    In British Columbia the "Total area of farms," "Area leased from governments," "Unimproved pasture" and "All other land" are higher than in previous censuses due to better quality data on government lands operated under a licence, permit or lease.

    1. In 1981, the area of "Unimproved land" was under-reported in the four western provinces. This affected the "Total area of farms" for each of the western provinces and for Canada.
    2. In 1976, "Land in crops" included field crops, vegetables, fruits and nursery crops. Since 1981, the definition of "Land in crops" has been expanded to include sod.
    3. Traditionally, the data for summerfallow land are overstated in geographic areas where the practice is not common. However, a question added since 1991 on the use of weed control methods on summerfallow land significantly reduced the extent of over-reporting.
    4. Since 1996, the term "Tame or seeded pasture" replaced "Improved land for pasture or grazing" used previously. Consequently, some respondents may have reported differently since 1996, thereby affecting the comparability of data with previous censuses.
    5. Since 1976, the area of "All other land" is the sum of the areas reported for all of the remaining land-use categories in each of the seven censuses. Since 1996, the area of Christmas trees has been included with "All other land." Since 2006, a separate question about woodlands and wetlands was added and is also included in "All other land."
    6. In 1996 and 2001, some operators reported unplanted land intended for crops as idle land (a component of "All other land"), since at the time of the Census of Agriculture they were uncertain as to whether this land would be planted.

    Source

    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

    Ontario

    Table 2.5
    Total land area and use of farm land, Canada and provinces, census years 1976 to 2006
    Ontario 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 1976 to 2006 1981 to 2006 1986 to 2006 1991 to 2006 1996 to 2006 2001 to 2006
     Empty cell percentage change
    Total land area  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 226,702,720 226,702,720 226,702,720 226,702,720 226,702,720 226,702,720 226,702,720 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Hectares 91,743,326 91,743,326 91,743,326 91,743,326 91,743,326 91,743,326 91,743,326 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Total area of farms 1  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 15,473,011 14,923,280 13,953,009 13,470,653 13,879,565 13,507,357 13,310,216 -14.0 -10.8 -4.6 -1.2 -4.1 -1.5
    Hectares 6,261,705 6,039,237 5,646,582 5,451,379 5,616,860 5,466,233 5,386,453 -14.0 -10.8 -4.6 -1.2 -4.1 -1.5
    Farms reporting 88,801 82,448 72,713 68,633 67,520 59,728 57,211 -35.6 -30.6 -21.3 -16.6 -15.3 -4.2
    Percentage of total farms 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 174 181 192 196 206 226 233 33.5 28.5 21.2 18.5 13.2 2.9
    Land in crops 2  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 8,665,845 8,976,664 8,544,820 8,430,414 8,759,707 9,035,915 9,046,383 4.4 0.8 5.9 7.3 3.3 0.1
    Hectares 3,506,943 3,632,727 3,457,966 3,411,667 3,544,927 3,656,705 3,660,941 4.4 0.8 5.9 7.3 3.3 0.1
    Farms reporting 82,211 76,264 65,943 61,353 59,269 53,799 50,169 -39.0 -34.2 -23.9 -18.2 -15.4 -6.7
    Percentage of total farms 92.6 92.5 90.7 89.4 87.8 90.1 87.7 -5.3 -5.2 -3.3 -1.9 -0.1 -2.7
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 105 118 130 137 148 168 180 71.1 53.2 39.2 31.2 22.0 7.4
    Summerfallow land 3  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 186,652 156,440 198,517 157,301 48,492 35,175 29,394 -84.3 -81.2 -85.2 -81.3 -39.4 -16.4
    Hectares 75,535 63,309 80,337 63,657 19,624 14,235 11,895 -84.3 -81.2 -85.2 -81.3 -39.4 -16.4
    Farms reporting 8,635 7,386 7,367 5,636 1,711 1,468 1,098 -87.3 -85.1 -85.1 -80.5 -35.8 -25.2
    Percentage of total farms 9.7 9.0 10.1 8.2 2.5 2.5 1.9 -80.4 -78.9 -81.2 -76.8 -24.0 -24.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 22 21 27 28 28 24 27 23.8 26.4 -0.7 -4.1 -5.5 11.7
    Tame or seeded pasture 4  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 1,836,696 1,623,506 1,065,731 964,235 860,786 773,650 749,719 -59.2 -53.8 -29.7 -22.2 -12.9 -3.1
    Hectares 743,284 657,009 431,286 390,212 348,348 313,085 303,400 -59.2 -53.8 -29.7 -22.2 -12.9 -3.1
    Farms reporting 38,635 35,586 25,066 21,544 19,935 19,160 16,482 -57.3 -53.7 -34.2 -23.5 -17.3 -14.0
    Percentage of total farms 43.5 43.2 34.5 31.4 29.5 32.1 28.8 -33.8 -33.3 -16.5 -8.3 -2.4 -10.3
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 48 46 43 45 43 40 45 -4.3 -0.3 7.0 1.6 5.3 12.7
    All other land 1,5,6  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 4,783,818 4,166,905 4,143,941 3,918,703 4,210,580 3,662,617 3,484,720 -27.2 -16.4 -15.9 -11.1 -17.2 -4.9
    Hectares 1,935,942 1,686,286 1,676,993 1,585,843 1,703,961 1,482,208 1,410,217 -27.2 -16.4 -15.9 -11.1 -17.2 -4.9
    Farms reporting 77,555 71,734 62,970 61,549 62,035 53,321 50,947 -34.3 -29.0 -19.1 -17.2 -17.9 -4.5
    Percentage of total farms 87.3 87.0 86.6 89.7 91.9 89.3 89.1 2.0 2.4 2.8 -0.7 -3.1 -0.3
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 62 58 66 64 68 69 68 10.3 17.9 3.6 7.4 0.8 -0.4

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

    In 1981 data in the land use tables may not add exactly in some cases due to rounding.

    In British Columbia the "Total area of farms," "Area leased from governments," "Unimproved pasture" and "All other land" are higher than in previous censuses due to better quality data on government lands operated under a licence, permit or lease.

    1. In 1981, the area of "Unimproved land" was under-reported in the four western provinces. This affected the "Total area of farms" for each of the western provinces and for Canada.
    2. In 1976, "Land in crops" included field crops, vegetables, fruits and nursery crops. Since 1981, the definition of "Land in crops" has been expanded to include sod.
    3. Traditionally, the data for summerfallow land are overstated in geographic areas where the practice is not common. However, a question added since 1991 on the use of weed control methods on summerfallow land significantly reduced the extent of over-reporting.
    4. Since 1996, the term "Tame or seeded pasture" replaced "Improved land for pasture or grazing" used previously. Consequently, some respondents may have reported differently since 1996, thereby affecting the comparability of data with previous censuses.
    5. Since 1976, the area of "All other land" is the sum of the areas reported for all of the remaining land-use categories in each of the seven censuses. Since 1996, the area of Christmas trees has been included with "All other land." Since 2006, a separate question about woodlands and wetlands was added and is also included in "All other land."
    6. In 1996 and 2001, some operators reported unplanted land intended for crops as idle land (a component of "All other land"), since at the time of the Census of Agriculture they were uncertain as to whether this land would be planted.

    Source

    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

    Manitoba

    Table 2.5
    Total land area and use of farm land, Canada and provinces, census years 1976 to 2006
    Manitoba 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 1976 to 2006 1981 to 2006 1986 to 2006 1991 to 2006 1996 to 2006 2001 to 2006
     Empty cell percentage change
    Total land area  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 135,340,800 135,340,800 135,340,800 135,340,800 135,340,800 135,340,800 135,340,800 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Hectares 54,770,473 54,770,473 54,770,473 54,770,473 54,770,473 54,770,473 54,770,473 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Total area of farms 1  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 19,026,255 18,819,365 19,126,517 19,088,868 19,106,531 18,784,407 19,073,005 0.2 1.3 -0.3 -0.1 -0.2 1.5
    Hectares 7,699,651 7,615,926 7,740,226 7,724,990 7,732,138 7,601,779 7,718,570 0.2 1.3 -0.3 -0.1 -0.2 1.5
    Farms reporting 32,104 29,442 27,336 25,706 24,383 21,071 19,054 -40.6 -35.3 -30.3 -25.9 -21.9 -9.6
    Percentage of total farms 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 593 639 700 743 784 891 1,001 68.9 56.6 43.1 34.8 27.7 12.3
    Land in crops 2  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 9,507,495 10,922,971 11,167,521 11,764,813 11,611,844 11,650,599 11,616,450 22.2 6.3 4.0 -1.3 0.0 -0.3
    Hectares 3,847,546 4,420,369 4,519,335 4,761,050 4,699,146 4,714,830 4,701,010 22.2 6.3 4.0 -1.3 0.0 -0.3
    Farms reporting 29,444 27,242 24,683 23,563 21,527 18,836 16,660 -43.4 -38.8 -32.5 -29.3 -22.6 -11.6
    Percentage of total farms 91.7 92.5 90.3 91.7 88.3 89.4 87.4 -4.7 -5.5 -3.2 -4.7 -1.0 -2.2
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 323 401 452 499 539 619 697 115.9 73.9 54.1 39.7 29.3 12.7
    Summerfallow land 3  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 2,308,205 1,478,526 1,258,294 733,899 799,760 631,930 312,795 -86.4 -78.8 -75.1 -57.4 -60.9 -50.5
    Hectares 934,097 598,338 509,213 296,998 323,651 255,733 126,584 -86.4 -78.8 -75.1 -57.4 -60.9 -50.5
    Farms reporting 20,935 14,426 11,900 7,511 7,535 5,902 2,792 -86.7 -80.6 -76.5 -62.8 -62.9 -52.7
    Percentage of total farms 65.2 49.0 43.5 29.2 30.9 28.0 14.7 -77.5 -70.0 -66.2 -49.7 -52.4 -47.5
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 110 102 106 98 106 107 112 1.6 9.3 6.0 14.7 5.6 4.6
    Tame or seeded pasture 4  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 769,191 871,065 679,402 843,348 880,295 947,585 1,231,313 60.1 41.4 81.2 46.0 39.9 29.9
    Hectares 311,281 352,507 274,944 341,291 356,243 383,474 498,295 60.1 41.4 81.2 46.0 39.9 29.9
    Farms reporting 8,513 8,844 6,313 6,151 6,960 5,980 5,819 -31.6 -34.2 -7.8 -5.4 -16.4 -2.7
    Percentage of total farms 26.5 30.0 23.1 23.9 28.5 28.4 30.5 15.1 1.7 32.0 27.6 7.0 7.4
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 90 98 108 137 126 158 212 134.2 114.8 96.6 54.3 67.3 33.5
    All other land 1,5,6  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 6,441,364 5,546,814 6,021,300 5,746,808 5,814,632 5,554,293 5,912,447 -8.2 6.6 -1.8 2.9 1.7 6.4
    Hectares 2,606,727 2,244,716 2,436,733 2,325,650 2,353,098 2,247,742 2,392,681 -8.2 6.6 -1.8 2.9 1.7 6.4
    Farms reporting 29,589 26,458 24,034 23,143 22,243 18,640 16,651 -43.7 -37.1 -30.7 -28.1 -25.1 -10.7
    Percentage of total farms 92.2 89.9 87.9 90.0 91.2 88.5 87.4 -5.2 -2.8 -0.6 -2.9 -4.2 -1.3
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 218 210 251 248 261 298 355 62.9 69.1 41.5 43.2 36.0 19.2

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

    In 1981 data in the land use tables may not add exactly in some cases due to rounding.

    In British Columbia the "Total area of farms," "Area leased from governments," "Unimproved pasture" and "All other land" are higher than in previous censuses due to better quality data on government lands operated under a licence, permit or lease.

    1. In 1981, the area of "Unimproved land" was under-reported in the four western provinces. This affected the "Total area of farms" for each of the western provinces and for Canada.
    2. In 1976, "Land in crops" included field crops, vegetables, fruits and nursery crops. Since 1981, the definition of "Land in crops" has been expanded to include sod.
    3. Traditionally, the data for summerfallow land are overstated in geographic areas where the practice is not common. However, a question added since 1991 on the use of weed control methods on summerfallow land significantly reduced the extent of over-reporting.
    4. Since 1996, the term "Tame or seeded pasture" replaced "Improved land for pasture or grazing" used previously. Consequently, some respondents may have reported differently since 1996, thereby affecting the comparability of data with previous censuses.
    5. Since 1976, the area of "All other land" is the sum of the areas reported for all of the remaining land-use categories in each of the seven censuses. Since 1996, the area of Christmas trees has been included with "All other land." Since 2006, a separate question about woodlands and wetlands was added and is also included in "All other land."
    6. In 1996 and 2001, some operators reported unplanted land intended for crops as idle land (a component of "All other land"), since at the time of the Census of Agriculture they were uncertain as to whether this land would be planted.

    Source

    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

    Saskatchewan

    Table 2.5
    Total land area and use of farm land, Canada and provinces, census years 1976 to 2006
    Saskatchewan 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 1976 to 2006 1981 to 2006 1986 to 2006 1991 to 2006 1996 to 2006 2001 to 2006
     Empty cell percentage change
    Total land area  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 140,878,080 140,878,080 140,878,080 140,878,080 140,878,080 140,878,080 140,878,080 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Hectares 57,011,330 57,011,330 57,011,330 57,011,330 57,011,330 57,011,330 57,011,330 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Total area of farms 1  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 65,511,431 64,116,652 65,728,443 66,386,074 65,653,588 64,903,830 64,253,845 -1.9 0.2 -2.2 -3.2 -2.1 -1.0
    Hectares 26,511,533 25,947,086 26,599,354 26,865,488 26,569,062 26,265,645 26,002,605 -1.9 0.2 -2.2 -3.2 -2.1 -1.0
    Farms reporting 70,958 67,318 63,431 60,840 56,995 50,598 44,329 -37.5 -34.1 -30.1 -27.1 -22.2 -12.4
    Percentage of total farms 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 923 952 1,036 1,091 1,152 1,283 1,449 57.0 52.2 39.9 32.8 25.8 13.0
    Land in crops 2  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 26,195,439 29,012,310 32,928,799 33,257,706 35,579,845 37,994,752 36,967,225 41.1 27.4 12.3 11.2 3.9 -2.7
    Hectares 10,600,917 11,740,864 13,325,811 13,458,915 14,398,651 15,375,929 14,960,103 41.1 27.4 12.3 11.2 3.9 -2.7
    Farms reporting 68,589 65,113 61,217 58,650 54,226 48,055 41,056 -40.1 -36.9 -32.9 -30.0 -24.3 -14.6
    Percentage of total farms 96.7 96.7 96.5 96.4 95.1 95.0 92.6 -4.2 -4.2 -4.0 -3.9 -2.6 -2.5
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 382 446 538 567 656 791 900 135.8 102.1 67.4 58.8 37.2 13.9
    Summerfallow land 3  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 17,758,608 16,567,094 13,981,843 14,116,713 10,950,353 7,738,453 6,001,296 -66.2 -63.8 -57.1 -57.5 -45.2 -22.4
    Hectares 7,186,653 6,704,464 5,658,251 5,712,830 4,431,450 3,131,640 2,428,638 -66.2 -63.8 -57.1 -57.5 -45.2 -22.4
    Farms reporting 64,681 57,885 50,412 45,577 37,597 28,114 18,779 -71.0 -67.6 -62.7 -58.8 -50.1 -33.2
    Percentage of total farms 91.2 86.0 79.5 74.9 66.0 55.6 42.4 -53.5 -50.7 -46.7 -43.4 -35.8 -23.7
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 275 286 277 310 291 275 320 16.4 11.7 15.2 3.2 9.7 16.1
    Tame or seeded pasture 4  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 2,246,653 2,410,177 2,171,380 2,658,002 3,047,567 3,473,646 4,848,757 115.8 101.2 123.3 82.4 59.1 39.6
    Hectares 909,188 975,364 878,726 1,075,655 1,233,306 1,405,735 1,962,222 115.8 101.2 123.3 82.4 59.1 39.6
    Farms reporting 16,233 17,071 12,668 13,333 17,101 14,045 14,396 -11.3 -15.7 13.6 8.0 -15.8 2.5
    Percentage of total farms 22.9 25.4 20.0 21.9 30.0 27.8 32.5 41.9 28.0 62.5 48.4 8.3 16.9
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 138 141 171 199 178 247 337 143.4 138.6 96.5 69.0 89.0 36.2
    All other land 1,5,6  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 19,310,731 16,127,098 16,646,421 16,353,653 16,075,823 15,696,979 16,436,567 -14.9 1.9 -1.3 0.5 2.2 4.7
    Hectares 7,814,775 6,526,404 6,736,567 6,618,088 6,505,654 6,352,341 6,651,642 -14.9 1.9 -1.3 0.5 2.2 4.7
    Farms reporting 62,807 57,271 53,223 51,926 49,598 41,889 36,243 -42.3 -36.7 -31.9 -30.2 -26.9 -13.5
    Percentage of total farms 88.5 85.1 83.9 85.3 87.0 82.8 81.8 -7.6 -3.9 -2.6 -4.2 -6.0 -1.3
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 307 282 313 315 324 375 454 47.7 60.8 44.9 44.0 40.0 21.0

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

    In 1981 data in the land use tables may not add exactly in some cases due to rounding.

    In British Columbia the "Total area of farms," "Area leased from governments," "Unimproved pasture" and "All other land" are higher than in previous censuses due to better quality data on government lands operated under a licence, permit or lease.

    1. In 1981, the area of "Unimproved land" was under-reported in the four western provinces. This affected the "Total area of farms" for each of the western provinces and for Canada.
    2. In 1976, "Land in crops" included field crops, vegetables, fruits and nursery crops. Since 1981, the definition of "Land in crops" has been expanded to include sod.
    3. Traditionally, the data for summerfallow land are overstated in geographic areas where the practice is not common. However, a question added since 1991 on the use of weed control methods on summerfallow land significantly reduced the extent of over-reporting.
    4. Since 1996, the term "Tame or seeded pasture" replaced "Improved land for pasture or grazing" used previously. Consequently, some respondents may have reported differently since 1996, thereby affecting the comparability of data with previous censuses.
    5. Since 1976, the area of "All other land" is the sum of the areas reported for all of the remaining land-use categories in each of the seven censuses. Since 1996, the area of Christmas trees has been included with "All other land." Since 2006, a separate question about woodlands and wetlands was added and is also included in "All other land."
    6. In 1996 and 2001, some operators reported unplanted land intended for crops as idle land (a component of "All other land"), since at the time of the Census of Agriculture they were uncertain as to whether this land would be planted.

    Source

    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

    Alberta

    Table 2.5
    Total land area and use of farm land, Canada and provinces, census years 1976 to 2006
    Alberta 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 1976 to 2006 1981 to 2006 1986 to 2006 1991 to 2006 1996 to 2006 2001 to 2006
     Empty cell percentage change
    Total land area  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 157,710,720 157,710,720 157,710,720 157,710,720 157,710,720 157,710,720 157,710,720 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Hectares 63,823,257 63,823,257 63,823,257 63,823,257 63,823,257 63,823,257 63,823,257 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Total area of farms 1  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 49,928,771 47,218,170 51,040,463 51,425,111 51,964,360 52,058,898 52,127,857 4.4 10.4 2.1 1.4 0.3 0.1
    Hectares 20,205,455 19,108,513 20,655,340 20,811,002 21,029,228 21,067,486 21,095,393 4.4 10.4 2.1 1.4 0.3 0.1
    Farms reporting 61,130 58,056 57,777 57,245 59,007 53,652 49,431 -19.1 -14.9 -14.4 -13.7 -16.2 -7.9
    Percentage of total farms 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 817 813 883 898 881 970 1,055 29.1 29.7 19.4 17.4 19.7 8.7
    Land in crops 2  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 18,877,471 20,858,765 22,641,092 22,961,142 23,590,033 24,038,861 23,775,509 25.9 14.0 5.0 3.5 0.8 -1.1
    Hectares 7,638,441 8,441,242 9,162,524 9,292,044 9,546,547 9,728,181 9,621,606 25.9 14.0 5.0 3.5 0.8 -1.1
    Farms reporting 55,847 53,323 52,347 50,732 50,268 46,028 41,172 -26.3 -22.8 -21.3 -18.8 -18.1 -10.6
    Percentage of total farms 91.4 91.8 90.6 88.6 85.2 85.8 83.3 -8.9 -9.3 -8.1 -6.0 -2.2 -2.9
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 338 391 433 453 469 522 577 70.8 47.6 33.5 27.6 23.1 10.6
    Summerfallow land 3  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 6,494,462 5,449,831 5,255,965 4,377,212 3,550,265 3,053,214 2,239,633 -65.5 -58.9 -57.4 -48.8 -36.9 -26.6
    Hectares 2,628,215 2,205,468 2,127,013 1,771,395 1,436,741 1,235,592 906,347 -65.5 -58.9 -57.4 -48.8 -36.9 -26.6
    Farms reporting 35,486 27,845 25,278 18,963 15,819 13,268 8,390 -76.4 -69.9 -66.8 -55.8 -47.0 -36.8
    Percentage of total farms 58.1 48.0 43.8 33.1 26.8 24.7 17.0 -70.7 -64.6 -61.2 -48.6 -36.6 -31.2
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 183 196 208 231 224 230 267 45.9 36.4 28.4 15.6 18.9 16.0
    Tame or seeded pasture 4  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 3,277,655 3,907,830 3,402,183 4,305,760 4,731,087 5,512,654 6,137,362 87.2 57.1 80.4 42.5 29.7 11.3
    Hectares 1,326,420 1,581,443 1,376,814 1,742,479 1,914,603 2,230,892 2,483,702 87.2 57.1 80.4 42.5 29.7 11.3
    Farms reporting 25,963 27,071 22,254 23,375 25,672 24,103 22,997 -11.4 -15.0 3.3 -1.6 -10.4 -4.6
    Percentage of total farms 42.5 46.6 38.5 40.8 43.5 44.9 46.5 9.4 -0.2 20.8 14.0 6.9 3.6
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 126 144 153 184 184 229 267 111.4 84.9 74.6 44.9 44.8 16.7
    All other land 1,5,6  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 21,279,183 17,001,799 19,741,223 19,780,997 20,092,975 19,454,169 19,975,353 -6.1 17.5 1.2 1.0 -0.6 2.7
    Hectares 8,611,379 6,880,383 7,988,989 8,005,085 8,131,338 7,872,822 8,083,738 -6.1 17.5 1.2 1.0 -0.6 2.7
    Farms reporting 56,824 52,464 51,708 52,086 54,140 47,217 43,479 -23.5 -17.1 -15.9 -16.5 -19.7 -7.9
    Percentage of total farms 93.0 90.4 89.5 91.0 91.8 88.0 88.0 -5.4 -2.7 -1.7 -3.3 -4.2 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 374 324 382 380 371 412 459 22.8 41.8 20.3 21.0 23.8 11.5

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

    In 1981 data in the land use tables may not add exactly in some cases due to rounding.

    In British Columbia the "Total area of farms," "Area leased from governments," "Unimproved pasture" and "All other land" are higher than in previous censuses due to better quality data on government lands operated under a licence, permit or lease.

    1. In 1981, the area of "Unimproved land" was under-reported in the four western provinces. This affected the "Total area of farms" for each of the western provinces and for Canada.
    2. In 1976, "Land in crops" included field crops, vegetables, fruits and nursery crops. Since 1981, the definition of "Land in crops" has been expanded to include sod.
    3. Traditionally, the data for summerfallow land are overstated in geographic areas where the practice is not common. However, a question added since 1991 on the use of weed control methods on summerfallow land significantly reduced the extent of over-reporting.
    4. Since 1996, the term "Tame or seeded pasture" replaced "Improved land for pasture or grazing" used previously. Consequently, some respondents may have reported differently since 1996, thereby affecting the comparability of data with previous censuses.
    5. Since 1976, the area of "All other land" is the sum of the areas reported for all of the remaining land-use categories in each of the seven censuses. Since 1996, the area of Christmas trees has been included with "All other land." Since 2006, a separate question about woodlands and wetlands was added and is also included in "All other land."
    6. In 1996 and 2001, some operators reported unplanted land intended for crops as idle land (a component of "All other land"), since at the time of the Census of Agriculture they were uncertain as to whether this land would be planted.

    Source

    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.

    British Columbia

    Table 2.5
    Total land area and use of farm land, Canada and provinces, census years 1976 to 2006
    British Columbia 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 1976 to 2006 1981 to 2006 1986 to 2006 1991 to 2006 1996 to 2006 2001 to 2006
     Empty cell percentage change
    Total land area  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 220,682,880 220,682,880 220,682,880 220,682,880 220,682,880 220,682,880 220,682,880 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Hectares 89,307,184 89,307,184 89,307,184 89,307,184 89,307,184 89,307,184 89,307,184 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Total area of farms 1  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 6,052,910 5,383,428 5,957,860 5,911,605 6,249,444 6,392,909 7,006,569 15.8 30.2 17.6 18.5 12.1 9.6
    Hectares 2,449,526 2,178,596 2,411,060 2,392,341 2,529,060 2,587,118 2,835,458 15.8 30.2 17.6 18.5 12.1 9.6
    Farms reporting 19,432 20,012 19,063 19,225 21,835 20,290 19,844 2.1 -0.8 4.1 3.2 -9.1 -2.2
    Percentage of total farms 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 311 269 313 307 286 315 353 13.4 31.3 13.0 14.8 23.4 12.1
    Land in crops 2  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 1,209,863 1,404,155 1,410,584 1,375,873 1,397,970 1,525,986 1,448,626 19.7 3.2 2.7 5.3 3.6 -5.1
    Hectares 489,614 568,241 570,843 556,796 565,738 617,545 586,238 19.7 3.2 2.7 5.3 3.6 -5.1
    Farms reporting 14,842 15,880 14,602 14,335 15,490 15,023 14,484 -2.4 -8.8 -0.8 1.0 -6.5 -3.6
    Percentage of total farms 76.4 79.4 76.6 74.6 70.9 74.0 73.0 -4.5 -8.1 -4.7 -2.1 3.0 -1.4
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 82 88 97 96 90 102 100 22.7 13.1 3.5 4.2 10.8 -1.5
    Summerfallow land 3  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 167,144 156,981 200,568 142,026 96,413 90,849 63,212 -62.2 -59.7 -68.5 -55.5 -34.4 -30.4
    Hectares 67,641 63,528 81,167 57,476 39,017 36,765 25,581 -62.2 -59.7 -68.5 -55.5 -34.4 -30.4
    Farms reporting 1,906 1,917 1,806 1,641 1,135 1,158 574 -69.9 -70.1 -68.2 -65.0 -49.4 -50.4
    Percentage of total farms 9.8 9.6 9.5 8.5 5.2 5.7 2.9 -70.4 -69.8 -69.5 -65.9 -44.2 -49.1
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 88 82 111 87 85 78 110 25.6 34.5 -0.8 27.2 29.6 40.4
    Tame or seeded pasture 4  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 434,154 659,484 510,095 595,535 593,637 575,864 607,368 39.9 -7.9 19.1 2.0 2.3 5.5
    Hectares 175,696 266,884 206,428 241,004 240,236 233,044 245,793 39.9 -7.9 19.1 2.0 2.3 5.5
    Farms reporting 8,883 9,615 7,321 7,055 6,249 5,784 5,417 -39.0 -43.7 -26.0 -23.2 -13.3 -6.3
    Percentage of total farms 45.7 48.0 38.4 36.7 28.6 28.5 27.3 -40.3 -43.1 -28.9 -25.6 -4.5 -4.2
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 49 69 70 84 95 100 112 129.4 63.5 60.9 32.8 18.0 12.6
    All other land 1,5,6  Empty cell  Empty cell
    Acres 4,241,749 3,163,099 3,836,613 3,798,171 4,161,424 4,200,210 4,887,363 15.2 54.5 27.4 28.7 17.4 16.4
    Hectares 1,716,575 1,280,061 1,552,622 1,537,065 1,684,068 1,699,765 1,977,846 15.2 54.5 27.4 28.7 17.4 16.4
    Farms reporting 16,118 16,394 15,394 16,631 19,165 17,656 17,549 8.9 7.0 14.0 5.5 -8.4 -0.6
    Percentage of total farms 82.9 81.9 80.8 86.5 87.8 87.0 88.4 6.7 8.0 9.4 2.2 0.7 1.6
    Average area in acres per farm reporting 263 193 249 228 217 238 278 5.9 44.3 11.8 22.1 28.3 17.1

    Symbols

    • x suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act
    • 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero
    • xxfor confidentiality reasons, data have been combined with those of the preceding size class
    • .. not available for a specific reference period
    • ...not applicable

    Notes

    In 1981 data in the land use tables may not add exactly in some cases due to rounding.

    In British Columbia the "Total area of farms," "Area leased from governments," "Unimproved pasture" and "All other land" are higher than in previous censuses due to better quality data on government lands operated under a licence, permit or lease.

    1. In 1981, the area of "Unimproved land" was under-reported in the four western provinces. This affected the "Total area of farms" for each of the western provinces and for Canada.
    2. In 1976, "Land in crops" included field crops, vegetables, fruits and nursery crops. Since 1981, the definition of "Land in crops" has been expanded to include sod.
    3. Traditionally, the data for summerfallow land are overstated in geographic areas where the practice is not common. However, a question added since 1991 on the use of weed control methods on summerfallow land significantly reduced the extent of over-reporting.
    4. Since 1996, the term "Tame or seeded pasture" replaced "Improved land for pasture or grazing" used previously. Consequently, some respondents may have reported differently since 1996, thereby affecting the comparability of data with previous censuses.
    5. Since 1976, the area of "All other land" is the sum of the areas reported for all of the remaining land-use categories in each of the seven censuses. Since 1996, the area of Christmas trees has been included with "All other land." Since 2006, a separate question about woodlands and wetlands was added and is also included in "All other land."
    6. In 1996 and 2001, some operators reported unplanted land intended for crops as idle land (a component of "All other land"), since at the time of the Census of Agriculture they were uncertain as to whether this land would be planted.

    Source

    Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture.