Agriculture continues to be a major contributor to the Alberta economy.
(Photo/Lethbridge News Now)
In terms of total farm operations, numbers from Statistics Canada show that there were 40,636 in operation in 2016, down about six percent over the past five years. But, ATB Financial says total farm output’s increased, meaning that farmers, though few in number, are in fact, larger in size.
As well, when you compare this number to the rest of the provinces, only Ontario’s total number of farms outnumbers Alberta’s. They have almost 50,000 operating in the province.
When you take the type of farm into account, Statistics Canada numbers show that Alberta leads the nation in beef cattle ranching (including feedlots, but not dairy operations).
With more than 12,000 cattle farms in the province, Alberta actually accounts for over a third of Canada’s total. And, since the ranches tend to be large in the province, that means that they account for an even greater percentage of beef production.
As well, grain and oilseed operations are, unsurprisingly, concentrated in western Canada, with Saskatchewan holding the #1 spot. Ontario narrowly takes second place over Alberta, mostly because the former has a large number of soybean and corn farms in operation.
– Posted by BET
