Chapter 3
Livestock sector re-focuses
The total number of cattle in Canada decreased by 18.9% since 2006, falling to 12.8 million head (Figure 17).
Figure 17: Total number of cattle and calves and farms reporting, 1956 to 2011
Beef cattle numbers decreased
The number of beef cattle reported for breeding purposes (beef cows and beef heifers for replacement purposes) decreased by 22.3% since 2006, totalling 4.5 million head in 2011. The number of farms reporting breeding stock decreased by 25.3% to 63,515 farms.
Almost half of the beef breeding herd in Canada was in Alberta in 2011, where it decreased by 22.4% since 2006 to 1.8 million head.
Cattle destined for feeding or slaughter (steers and feeder/slaughter heifers) decreased by 16.1%, reducing the total number of feeder/slaughter cattle in Canada to 2.6 million in 2011. The number of farms reporting feeder/slaughter cattle dropped by 21.2%. Alberta reported the majority of the feeder/slaughter cattle in the country in 2011, with 57.8% of the national feeder/slaughter cattle herd.
Since 2006, the beef industry in Canada declined as a result of several economic factors, including a decline in consumer demand for beef. Data on food availability per person indicates that between 2006 and 2011, food availability of beef dropped 5.1% to 28.3 kg per person annually in Canada (CANSIM series 002-0011).
Dairy showed efficiency gains
The number of dairy cows in Canada decreased to 961,726 in 2011, down 3.4% since 2006. Efficiency gains allowed operations to increase production while reducing the overall size of the dairy herd (Figure 18). Consolidation of the dairy herd continued as the number of farms reporting dairy cows decreased 15.0% from 2006.
In 2011, Quebec accounted for 37.4% of the total dairy cows in Canada. Ontario remained second, accounting for 33.1% of all dairy cows.
Figure 18: Number of dairy cows and total milk production, Canada, 1981 to 2011
Pig numbers decreased
Since 2006, the number of pigs in the country decreased by 15.7%, falling to 12.7 million in 2011. The number of farms reporting pigs decreased to 7,371 in 2011, a 35.9% drop. Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba maintained their respective positions as the provinces reporting the most pigs. The industry continued moving towards larger farms, with the average number of pigs per farm increasing to 1,720 in 2011, a 31.5% increase since 2006.
A strong Canadian dollar, high feed prices and trade restrictions, as well as the supply of pork outpacing demand in the intercensal period resulted in a restructuring of the sector.
The Cull Breeding Swine Program (2008) and the Hog Farm Transition Program (2009) were introduced to help farmers either successfully transition out of the hog industry or reduce their herd size. According to the Canadian Pork Council, Ontario had the largest portion of farms that took advantage of the Hog Farm Transition Program; Ontario also showed the largest drop in number of pigs among all provinces since 2006.
Poultry sector continued to consolidate
The number of laying hens and pullets in Canada grew by 2.4% since 2006, increasing to just over 38.6 million birds in 2011. Ontario accounted for 38.2% of the laying hens producing table eggs in 2011, the highest of all provinces.
For the first time, the Census of Agriculture collected data on table and hatching eggs produced for sale. A total of 555.9 million dozen table eggs and 54.2 million dozen hatching eggs produced were reported in 2010.
The broiler industry—birds destined for the table—underwent consolidation since the 2006 Census of Agriculture. The number of farms producing birds for consumption decreased; however, production increased since 2005 by 13.5% to 1.3 billion kilograms in 2010. Ontario maintained its position as the largest producer of broilers with 32.5% of the total broiler production in Canada.
The number of turkeys in Canada increased 4.3% since 2006, pushing the total to just over 8.0 million birds. This increase in the number of birds equated to an increase of 4.2% in reported live weight production. Consolidation in the turkey sector led to a 12.8% decrease in the number of farms reporting turkeys in Canada since 2006.
Shift from forages to cash crops
Increased prices for cash crops coupled with declining livestock numbers led to a shift from forages and crops traditionally used for feed (such as oats, barley, and mixed grains) to more profitable cash crops (such as oilseeds) (Figure 19).
Figure 19: Proportion of total field crop area in selected crops, 1981 to 2011
Canola took the lead from spring wheat
The 2011 Census of Agriculture showed that canola area surpassed that of spring wheat (Figure 20). Spring wheat lost its position as the number one field crop, dropping 10.0% since 2006. This marks the fourth straight census to report a decrease in spring wheat area. The largest decreases were in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Figure 20: Canola and spring wheat as a proportion of total field crop area, 1981 to 2011
With 19.4 million acres, representing a 55.9% increase from 2006, canola moved into the top spot among field crops. As in 2006, most of this area (98.8%) was reported on farms in the Prairie provinces. Saskatchewan led with just over half (50.5%) of the national total, followed by Alberta (31.3%) and Manitoba (17.0%). The increase comes as no surprise considering the steady growth in canola area since its development in the 1970s. High prices in combination with favourable yields encouraged farmers to plant more canola, and the 2011 Census of Agriculture marks the largest increase in land devoted to canola.
Soybeans stood out in the East
Total soybean area in Canada increased 33.2% since 2006 to 4.0 million acres in 2011 as a result of attractive prices, strong demand and breeding programs.
Ontario maintained its position as the largest producer of soybeans, reporting 62.3% of the total area in Canada. Research advances in developing new varieties of soybeans with earlier maturity and tolerance of cooler climates allowed the zones in which they are produced to further expand. Figure 21 shows the top 4 provinces reporting soybean area in Canada.
In Prince Edward Island soybeans are gaining on potatoes with 51,116 acres planted—a 351.6% increase since 2006—although potatoes still totalled 86,560 acres in 2011. New, shorter-season varieties of soybeans adapted to the Prairies also triggered a doubling of soybean area in Manitoba to 705,032 acres.
Figure 21: Soybean area, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, 1981 to 2011
The increases in canola and soybean areas in Canada were at the expense of tame hay, alfalfa and small grains. With declining demand from the livestock industry, tame hay and alfalfa area decreased 14.0% since 2006 to 16.9 million acres. The majority of tame hay and alfalfa (73.7%) was reported in Western Canada, with Alberta continuing to report the largest share of the national total (30.2%) despite its 14.5% decrease. Area planted to feed grains in Canada also declined since 2006, with area in oats, barley and mixed grains dropping 26.0%.
Several specialty crops also decreased since 2006. For example, area planted to sunflowers decreased 63.1% to 77,788 acres. Most sunflower acres (81.5%) were in Manitoba and were afflicted in recent years with diseases such as sclerotinia wilt and head rot, which is especially prevalent in wet conditions. This coupled with the attractive economic returns for other crops, such as canola and soybeans, contributed to the decrease in total sunflower area.
Lentil area, on the other hand, doubled since 2006 to 2.6 million acres. Almost all of the lentil acres were reported in two provinces; Saskatchewan with 96.0% of the total Canadian lentil area and Alberta, with 3.8%.
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