Canada on a plate

Jun 29, 2020

What would each province bring to the table?

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Canada is home to 193,492 farms, the 2016 census of agriculture reported.

Those farms are spread out across 10 provinces, three territories and six time zones.

With Canada celebrating its 153rd birthday this week, Farms.com thought it appropriate to host a Canada Day meal where each province contributes its top ag export product.

Beginning on the west coast and moving east, British Columbia would bring farmed Atlantic salmon to the meal.

The province is home to about 75 salmon farms. In 2018, seafood exports totalling $541 million were shipped from B.C. to customers around the world.

Alberta’s contribution to the Canadian celebration would be beef.

The province is home to 12,693 cattle ranches and, in 2018, those farms helped export $2.75 billion worth of beef internationally.

Farmers in Saskatchewan would be responsible for bringing canola to the Canada Day celebration.

More than 26,000 farmers grow canola in Saskatchewan, a report commissioned by the Canola Council of Canada found in 2017.

In 2018, canola seed, oil and meal exports worth $4.8 billion were generated by Saskatchewan canola producers.

Manitoba’s farmers would bring pork the national get-together.

The province has 650 hog farms that provided exports worth $1 billion in 2018.

Continuing east, farmers in Ontario would bring grain products to the national supper.

The province is home to about 28,000 grain producers, Grain Farmers of Ontario said.

Ontario’s ag ministry said the province generated grain commodity exports of almost $4 billion in 2018.

Quebec’s contributions to the national party would be dairy.

More than 5,200 dairy farmers call Quebec home and, in 2018, exports of milk and related products topped $2.3 billion.

Farmers in New Brunswick would be responsible for supplying potatoes for the Canada Day feast.

The province has about 200 potato farm operations. Potato and related product exports in 2018 equalled almost $285 million.

Nova Scotia’s contribution to the national celebratory feast would be lobster.

The province exported $1.03 billion worth of lobster in 2018.

Nova Scotian farmers would bring blueberries to the meal.

The province is home to more than 1,000 blueberry farmers, and exports of the fruit in 2018 reached $104.4 million.

Farmers from Prince Edward Island would bring potatoes.

More than 180 farmers grow potatoes in the province. P.E.I exported $415 million worth of fresh and processed potatoes in 2018. That figure represents 87 per cent of the province’s total ag exports.

No ag export data was readily available for Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada’s territories.

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