Sask. sees fewer, larger farms, but the trend is slowing: Statcan

Changes to farming are showing signs of slightly settling, according to a new snapshot of Saskatchewan agriculture.

Statistics Canada's 2021 census of agriculture reports long-standing farming trends are holding tight as farms continue to grow fewer and larger, while operators grow older.

“The farm industry has been exposed to many challenges, characterized by extreme weather events, an uptick in trade disputes and labour shortages as a direct or indirect result of COVID 19 pandemic challenges,” said Matthew Shumsky, a Statcan analyst.

“What we've seen is really a lot of stability, or what I would characterize as resiliency, in the agricultural sector.”

The number of farms in the province dropped by roughly one per cent between 2016 and 2021, from 34,523 to 34,128.

The 2001 census counted 50,598 farms, which means the number fell by about 32.5 per cent over 20 years.

However, Shumsky said the change from 2016 to 2021 may be better characterized as stability, compared to the more dramatic decreases seen during other census periods.

Farming 's increasing concentration in the hands of fewer operators has been ongoing since 1941, when the number of farms peaked at 138,713.

Shumsky also noted that the oneper-cent drop in Saskatchewan is less than the national average.

Farmers also continue to age. The average producer is now 55.8 years old, compared to 50.5 in 2001.

That's still slightly younger than the national average of 56.

Statcan suggested that rising land values may also be acting as a barrier for younger farmers.

A March Farm Credit Canada report found Saskatchewan land value increased by an average of about 7.4 per cent in 2021. That follows a 5.4-per-cent and 6.2-per-cent bump in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The report noted the most important growth was in the eastern half of the province.

Shumsky added Saskatchewan has the highest rate of succession planning among farmers in the country. He pointed out the dominance of grain and oil seed farming in the province, which correlates with farmers in higher sales classes being more likely to have plans to pass their operations on.

Notably, the number of women in farming increased after steadily declining, with a count of 12,010 women operators out of 44,140.

What we've seen is really a lot of stability, or what I would characterize as resiliency, in the agricultural sector.

The number of women farmers sat around 11,300 in 2011 and 2016.

That's still lower than 2001, when about 14,750 of 66,275 Saskatchewan farm operators were women. Shumsky said that uptick is happening across the country, with 2021 marking the first time since 1991 when the numbers of women farmers increased.

There was also a significant uptake of renewable energy production: 10 per cent of farmers reported using renewables — up from roughly 3.1 per cent, but still slightly lower than the national average of about 11.9 per cent.

Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan president Ian Boxall said that can be attributed to solar panel installations and collaborations with Saskpower.