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May 11, 2022CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE, 2021 Today, Statistics Canada released results from the 2021 Census of Agriculture. The Census of Agriculture is one of Statistics Canada's longest data series with records collected as far back as 1921. This allows perspective on how agriculture has changed in Canada in the last century.
Nova Scotia reported 2,741 farms in 2021, 1.4% of the national total. Canada had 189,874 farms in 2021, down 1.9% from 2016. Ontario had the largest number of farms in Canada: 48,346 in 2021.
From 2016 to 2021, the number of farms in Nova Scotia declined by 21.2%. This was the largest decline in the number of farms among all provinces. Nationally, the number of farms fell by 1.9%. Contraction in the number of farms was fastest in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia. There were increases in the number of farms only in Alberta and Quebec.
Although Nova Scotia accounted for 1.4% of Canada's farms, these operations occupy less acreage than larger farms in the prairies. Nova Scotia reported 720,045 acres of farms or 0.47% of the national total. Saskatchewan and Alberta reported the largest amount of farm acreage in 2021.
Nova Scotia's farm acreage fell by 21.4% from 2016 to 2021 - a similar pace to decline than the number of farms. Farm acreage declined in every province from 2016 to 2021. The largest declines were in Newfoundland and Labrador (which started with a very small amount to begin with), followed by the Maritimes and British Columbia. The prairie provinces reported the least decline in farm acreage.
Nova Scotia's average farm amounted to 263 acres per farm - similar to sizes of farms in Quebec. Average farm acreage has been rising for decades, but notably faster in the three prairie provinces, where the average farm is significantly larger than anything located in the other provinces.
Over the last 100 years, the number of farms in Nova Scotia has declined by over 90%. In the 1921 Census of Agriculture, there were 47,432 farms in Nova Scotia on 4,723,550 acres. By 1971, the number of farms in Nova Scotia had declined to just over 6,000 on 1,328,875 acres. Although the number and acreage of farms has declined since 1971, the pace of decline has been slower than observed in the first 50 years of the Census of Agriculture historical series.
From 1976 to 2021, Nova Scotia's decline in farms was particularly concentrated among those sized between 70 and 1,120 acres. There was less contraction in both larger and smaller farm operations.
On a per acre basis, Nova Scotia's farms generated $1,002.8 in operating revenues. Operating expenses amounted to $885.0 per acre. Nova Scotia reported the highest ratio of operating expenses to operating revenues. Operating revenues and expenses per acre were highest in Newfoundland and Labrador's (few) farms, followed by Quebec and Ontario.
Nova Scotia's farms had a capital value of $4,033 per acre in 2021 (primarily in land and buildings). Across Canada, farm capital values per acre were $4,495. The highest farm capital per acre was reported in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. The lowest farm capital per acre was reported in the prairie provinces.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 32-10-0153-01 Land use, Census of Agriculture historical data; Table 32-10-0156-01 Farms classified by total farm area, Census of Agriculture historical data; Table 32-10-0164-01 Farm capital, operating revenues and operating expenses, Census of Agriculture historical data
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