Results from the 2016 Census of Agriculture show that Manitoba had the largest proportion of farm operators under 35 years of age and the second youngest population of farm operators in Canada.
There were 14,791 census farms in Manitoba in 2016, down 6.8% from 2011 and larger than the 5.9% decline at the national level. The number of operations in Manitoba has been steadily declining since 1941.
There were 20,140 farm operators in Manitoba in 2016, down 9.8% from 2011. Women accounted for 23.8% of farm operators in Manitoba in 2016, up slightly from 23.6% in 2011 but below the national average of 28.7%.
With an average age of 53.8 years, Manitoba has the second youngest population of farm operators in Canada. Quebec ranked first with an average age of 52.9 years. Only Manitoba and Quebec have an average operator age below the national average of 55.0 years.
From 2011 to 2016, the proportion of farm operators in the oldest age category (55 years of age and older) increased to 52.1%. However, a higher proportion of young operators (under 35 years old) lessened the increase in the average farm operator age in Manitoba, which rose from 53.1 years in 2011 to 53.8 years in 2016.
Cropland rose 7.3% to 11.5 million acres in 2016 with Manitoba accounting for 12.3% of all cropland in Canada. From 2011 to 2016, there were shifts in cropland area away from hay to field crops. The return of land which had been fallow in 2011 due to flooding accounted for much of the increase in cropland in Manitoba between the censuses.
The total farm area over which farmers had stewardship in Manitoba decreased 2.1% from 2011 to 17.6 million acres in 2016. While the total farm area fell, the average farm size grew from 1,135 acres to 1,193 acres during the same period, indicating consolidation.
Soybean area more than doubled from 2011, the largest increase in soybean area in Canada. Manitoba now accounts for almost one-third of the total soybean area in Canada. Area seeded to dry field peas and corn for grain was also up sharply from 2011.
Canola remained the largest field crop area in Manitoba in 2016, but area was down slightly from 2011. Canola remained the leading field crop by area in Manitoba, followed by spring wheat and soybeans.
Source : Steinbachonline