The Rural Voice, 2004-06, Page 12Jeffrey Carter
It takes all kinds in rural Canada
Jeffrey
Carter is a
freelance
journalist
based in
Dresden,
Ontario.
When it comes to food production
and generating income from
agriculture, big farms are the
dominant players in Canada.
There were fewer than 250,000
farm operations in 2001, according to
Statistics Canada. Among these were
roughly 120,000 "business -focussed
farms."
The business -focussed farms were
those with gross farm sales of
$100,000 or more. They accounted
for about 68 per cent of net farm
income in Canada.
However, on average, these farms
— most operated by families — were
pulling in far more income from off -
farm jobs, government support, and
self-employment than from farming.
Most analysts focus on the larger
operations when they talk about
agriculture, especially those operators
able to generate sales of $250,000 or
more. They'll tell you that bigger farms
and fewer farmers are the way of the
future. The rationale, I suppose, is
that once operators are big enough,
they'll actually be able to generate
enough farm income to live on.
It's an insipid analysis that fails to
recognize the big picture.
Rural Canada, at (east those parts
of it with agriculturally -based econ-
omies, can no loner depend solely
on production agri:ulture for its
economic well-being. The number of
people represented by 120,000 farm- .
ing operations is just too small,
though their contrbution should still
be valued.
The answer, or a big part of it, lies
with the small agricultural
stakeholders. That's right. Small
farmers still have acrucial role to
play in rural Canada.
That's because vhile they may not
be generating the hg agricultural
dollars. they're still generating
incomes. There arealso more of these
small farmers than a'hat the numbers
presented by Statistics Canada would
suggest.
There are roughl� 130,000 small
farm operations acc rding to
Statistics Canada. those generating
less than $100,000 gross farm
sales. However, anyone with less
than $10,000 in sales doesn't show
up on the Stats Can radar screen.
Small Farms Canada. a new
magazine devoted to small farmers,
conservatively estimat°s there are
200,000 of the little players in the
agricultural game. The big guys may
scoff, but small farmers — and their
incomes — play a big role in the rural
infrastructure.
There are at least two ways to look
at it.
The first consideration revolves
around economics. While small
farmers may not derive much income
from agriculture, they do contribute
significantly to rural economics.
For instance, farmers given the
"lifestyle" designation by Statistics
Canada represent more than 20 per
cent of all farmers. While little more
than two per cent of their income was
derived from farm sales in 2001, their
average total income was more than
$90,000 — a far bigger number than
what was earned by the average large
farm operator.
The second consideration moves
beyond pure economics. The
presence of small farmers and other
rural landowners creates a demand
for services — everything from rural
schools to health care to policing and
roads — and those are important to
everyone.
Conflicts can, of course, arise
between the big and small
agricultural stakeholders. These can
be resolved with a little co-operation,
understanding, and mutual respect.
Besides, there are more are more
things that can be attached to a
diverse and vibrant rural community
than negatives.0
N, p o U U C,,v
LANCE
Defender of Yields'
NEM! LANCE! Your ultimate weapon
in the fight against disease.
By defenling your dry beans against the yield robbing potential of white
mould, LANCE helps you maximize your crop production. Its completely
new moth of action lets it move through the plant, fortifying it against
the onslaight of disease, ultimately enhancing yield and marketability.
Unleash the potential of your high value crop. Yield to the power of LANCE.
For more information on LANCE call BASF AgSolutionr
at -877-371-BASF (2273) or visit our website at www.agsolutions.ca
Always read and follow label duecoons before use LANCE' rs a registered Iradena k of BASF AG and AgSola ons'
,s a registered uademark of BASF Corporation. both used undo, bcense by BASF Canada Inc Delender of Yields` is a
vademark of BASF Canada Inc Copynghl 002004 BASF Corpo,eoon
8 THE RURAL VOICE