A portrait of Canada's female farm operators
Description: A portrait of Canada's female farm operators
According to the Census of Agriculture, there were 79,795 female farm operators in Canada in 2021, the first increase in 30 years.
British Columbia has the highest share of farm operators who are female.
| Geography | Percentage of female farm operators |
|---|---|
| N.L. | 25.6% |
| P.E.I. | 20.0% |
| N.S. | 29.5% |
| N.B. | 23.6% |
| Que. | 27.7% |
| Ont. | 31.0% |
| Man. | 26.5% |
| Sask. | 27.2% |
| Alta. | 32.4% |
| B.C. | 39.7% |
| Canada | 30.4% |
Sheep and goat farms reported the highest proportion of farm operators who are female.
| Farm type | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Sheep and goat farming | 41.1% |
| Other animal production | 40.7% |
| Poultry and egg production | 35.7% |
| Greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture production | 34.8% |
| Fruit and tree nut farming | 33.8% |
| Vegetable and melon farming | 32.8% |
| Beef farming and feedlots | 31.0% |
| Other crop farming | 30.8% |
| Hog and pig farming | 29.1% |
| Dairy and milk production | 27.4% |
| Oilseed and grain farming | 25.6% |
Nearly 1 in 2 (48.3%) female farm operators reported working off the farm in 2020.
Among these female farm operators, 57.7% worked off the farm 30 or more hours per week.
Less than half (47.8%) of female farm operators worked on farms that reported less than $50,000 in revenues in 2020, compared with 39.8% of male farm operators.
Conversely, 17.8% of female farm operators worked on farms with revenues of $500,000 or more, compared with 22.8% of male farm operators.
In 2021, 6 in 10 female farm operators were 55 years and older.
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture, 2021.
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