Canada saw increases in young and women farmers in its latest Census of Agriculture. Statistics Canada has released its 2016 Census of Agriculture, which counted 271,000-some farm operators, down from 293,000 during the 2011 Census.

While people age 55 and over still make up the fastest-growing segment of farmers in Canada, the latest report shows slightly more producers under age 35 for the first time in five surveys. Operators under 35 years of age rose from 24,120 in 2011 to 24,850 in 2016. Women also accounted for an increasing share of operators in 2016, at 28.7 percent, up from 27.4 percent in 2011.

The average area per farm increased from 779 acres in 2011 to 820 in 2016. However, Canada’s total farm area slipped 0.9 percent, from 160.2 million acres in 2011 to 158.7 million acres in 2016. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service is in the beginning stages of the next U.S. Census of Agriculture. In 2012, the U.S. census counted 2.2 million farm operators in the United States.

Source;  NAFB News

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