Who’s minding Saskatchewan’s farms?

Distribution of farm operators in Saskatchewan by age class, 1991 to 2001
Other highlights

The number of farm operators in Saskatchewan declined 9.1%, from 72,925 in 1996 to 66,275 in 2001. Only Alberta and British Columbia had smaller percentage decreases in farm operators. The decrease in Saskatchewan’s farm operators is similar to the 11.2% decline in the number of farms reported on May 15, 2002 in Farm operations: regional trends.

Dividing the farm operator population into three age categories — under 35 years, 35 to 54 and 55 and over — shows clear trends. Although all three have declined in number since the last census, the change in the youngest group (which includes operators from 15 years of age to 34) is dramatic and casts an increasingly large and grey shadow over farming’s future. From 1996 to 2001, the number of operators under 35 decreased by 28.6%. Since 1991, operators in this group dropped by almost half.

Another way to look at the whole picture is to consider the shares held by each age group. As the share of the younger group shrinks from census to census, the two older groups tend to increase or stay relatively the same: 51.1% are now between the ages of 35 and 54, and those 55 and over represent 36.7%. The youngest group represents 12.3% of all farmers; 10 years ago it was one-fifth. Whether the picture is viewed in absolute or relative terms, farm operators are a greying population.

A comparable group of self-employed workers under 35 in the general labour force constitutes 17.2% of all self-employed workers in Saskatchewan. This is a marked difference from the 12.3% of farm operators under 35.

Distribution of farm operators in Saskatchewan by age class, 1991 to 2001

A further indication of an aging farm population in Saskatchewan is the increase in the median age of farm operators. The median age increased from 48 years in 1996 to 49 in 2001. In addition, of all the farm operators counted on May 15, 2001, 18.2% were 65 or over. Another 12,205, or 18.4%, will celebrate their 65th birthday by 2011. By contrast, 9.9% of the entire labour force will turn 65 by the 2011 Census.

Additional profiles on the other provinces, and on women farm operators, operator injuries, and on- and non-farm work are available at Profiles of Canadian farm operators. Tables with more provincial detail about farm operators, including their median age and sex, on- and non-farm work, injuries, and distribution by farm type, gross farm receipts, and farm capital are available at Canadian Statistics.

Other highlights

• In 2001, 66,275 farm operators were on 50,598 farms in Saskatchewan. Single-operator farms accounted for 69.8% of all farms, while same-generation farms accounted for 25.0%, and multiple-generation farms made up the remaining 5.2%. (Operators must have at least 20 years difference in age but not necessarily be related to be considered of a different generation.)

• The proportion of female farm operators in Saskatchewan increased to 22.3% in 2001, from 20.0% in 1996. Saskatchewan had the lowest female proportion of any Prairie province, but has closed the gap with Manitoba, which had 22.6%.

• In 2001, the median age of male operators in Saskatchewan was 50 years, an increase of two years from 1996. Nationally, the median age of male operators was 49 years in 2001. The median age for female operators moved to 48 from 46 in 1996. This was the same median age as the national level for female operators.

• In the last 12 months before the census, 2,410 farm operators in Saskatchewan — or 3.6% — suffered a farm-related injury requiring medical attention or resulting in lost time. Saskatchewan had the second highest injury rate in Canada; only Manitoba was higher, with 4.0%. The national injury rate was 3.2%.

• The most common injuries suffered by Saskatchewan farm operators were open wounds (19.7%), fractures (18.0%), and nerve and spinal cord injuries (17.4%).

• The proportion of farm operators in Saskatchewan working more than 40 hours on the farm in 2000 remained almost unchanged at 53.0%. The proportion of farm operators in Saskatchewan is still above the national average of 47.7% for on-farm work of more than 40 hours per week.

• In 2000, 49.4% of all female operators in Saskatchewan engaged in non-farm work in addition to their work on the farm, compared with 41.6% of their male counterparts. This was the second lowest male proportion in Canada. Nationally, 45.6% of female and 44.2% of male operators had some non-farm work.

• Saskatchewan farm operators under 35 were three times as likely to have non-farm work compared with operators 55 and over in 2000. Of those under 35, 66.4% had some non-farm work, compared with only 20.1% of operators 55 and over.

The complete set of data on farm operators, including distribution by age class, is now available at the county, municipality and regional district levels (or their equivalents) in Farm operator data: initial release (95F0355XIE, free) on Statistics Canada’s Web site (). From the Our products and services page choose Free publications then Agriculture.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Gaye Ward (613-951-3172), Census of Agriculture, or Media Relations (613-951-4636).

Require assistance or advice on 2001 Census of Agriculture Products and Services? Contact the nearest Statistics Canada Regional Reference Centre.