Who’s minding British Columbia’s farms?

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

The number of farm operators in British Columbia declined 8.0%, from 32,950 in 1996 to 30,320 in 2001. Only Alberta had a smaller percentage decrease in farm operators. The decrease in farm operators is similar to the 7.1% 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 operators 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 suggests an aging farm population. From 1996 to 2001 the number of operators under 35 decreased by 36.5%. Since 1991, operators in this group dropped by 42.5%.

Another way to look at the whole picture is to consider the shares held by each age group. As the share of the youngest group shrinks from census to census, the two older groups stay relatively the same or increase: in 2001, 54.0% were between the ages of 35 and 54 and those 55 and over increased to 38.1% from 33.5% in 1996. The youngest group is now less than 8% of all farmers; 10 years ago it was 14.4%. 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 21.7% of all self-employed workers in British Columbia. This is a stark difference from the 7.9% of farm operators under 35.

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

A further indication of an aging farm population in British Columbia is the increase in the median age of farm operators. The median age increased from 48 years in 1996 to 51 in 2001. In addition, of all the farm operators counted on May 15, 2001, 16.4% were 65 or over. Another 6,595 or 21.8%, will celebrate their 65th birthday by 2011. By contrast, 9.4% 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, 30,320 farm operators were on 20,290 farms in British Columbia. Single-operator farms accounted for 53.2% of all farms, while same-generation farms accounted for 40.7%, and multiple-generation farms made up the remaining 6.2%. (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 British Columbia remained unchanged between 1996 and 2001 at 36%.

• In 2001, British Columbia was the only province where the proportion of women farm operators was greater than 35%. Alberta had the second highest proportion of women farm operators, at 28.4%. The difference becomes more pronounced when compared with the national female proportion of 26.3%.

• In B.C., women under 35 and 35 to 54 made up roughly 40%, while men accounted for the remaining 60% of farm operators in these two age categories in 2001. Women in the oldest age group, 55 and over, accounted for 31%, while men made up the remaining 69% of farm operators in that age group.

• In 2001, the median age of male operators in B.C. was 52 years, an increase of three years from 1996. B.C.’s male operators have the highest median age in Canada. Male operators in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador had the second oldest median age, at 51 years. Nationally, the median age for male operators was 49 years in 2001.

• The median age for female operators in B.C. moved to 49 in 2001 from 47 in 1996. Like B.C.’s male operators, female operators have the oldest median age in Canada along with those in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Nationally, the median age for female operators was 48 years in 2001.

• In the last 12 months before the census, 855 farm operators in British Columbia — or 2.8% — suffered a farm-related injury requiring medical attention or resulting in lost time. This was slightly below the national injury rate of 3.2%.

• The most common injuries suffered by British Columbia farm operators were fractures (22.8%), nerve and spinal cord injuries (17.5%), and sprains and strains (16.4%).

• British Columbia continues to have the largest proportion of operators working fewer than 20 hours per week on the farm in Canada. The proportion in 2000 was 38.4%, almost unchanged from 1995.

• Operators on farms with receipts under $25,000 tend to work fewer hours on the farm per week. With 65% of B.C. operators working on farms in that receipts class — compared with 36.9% nationally — it’s not surprising that B.C.’s proportion of farmers working fewer than 20 hours is the largest in Canada.

• In 2000, 49.7% of all female operators in B.C. engaged in non-farm work in addition to their work on the farm, compared with 54.6% of their male counterparts. B.C. operators are above the national levels of non-farm work, with male operators having the highest proportion of non-farm work in Canada. At the national level, 45.6% of female and 44.2% of male operators are involved in non-farm work.

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).