2022 farm cash receipts forecast to break new records

Jan 18, 2022

2021 was eventful for the Canadian ag sector, with a severe drought in the West, floods in British Columbia, COVID lasting impacts and input costs rising. Even so, it was overall a good year for Canadian farms with a significant increase in farm revenues. Looking forward, we expect Farm Cash Receipts (FCR) to continue growing in 2022, although at a more moderate pace.

FCR are only half of the equation for measuring profitability. We must keep in mind that observing FCR growth does not necessarily mean that farm profits are increasing - especially this year with the rapid rise of farm input costs.

A look back at 2021 and forward to 2022

Statistics Canada is set to release complete FCR data for 2021 later this year. Our forecasts for 2021 incorporate StatCan FCR estimates for the first three-quarters of 2021 and data from various other sources. Table 1 compares FCR data for 2020 to FCC forecasts for 2021 and 2022. FCR were resilient to the numerous disruptions, grew in all provinces in 2021, and we forecast that they grew by 10.0% overall in Canada. We expect growth to continue in 2022, but at a lower rate (4.6%). We expand on the largest agricultural sectors below.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.