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AGRICULTURE IN
THE PRAIRIES
Report by: Jill Guerra, Canada Organic Trade Association
May 2018
This report was created by the Canada Organic Trade Association and commissioned by the Prairie
Organic Grain Initiative. All figures reported are best estimates using data provided by organic
Certification Bodies.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
KEY FINDINGS
It took the better part of a decade for Prairie organic agriculture to recover from the impacts of the 2008-
9 recession but in 2016, the Prairie region made strong gains in organic acreage and operator numbers.
The Prairies remain home to over half of Canada s organic farmland and a growing share of the nation s
organic operations. These are signs of a healthy and growing organic sector.
Quick Facts
§ The number of certified operations in the Prairies reached a new milestone of 1,632 in 2016
§ Organic acreage expanded from 1.4 to 1.6 million between 2015 and 2016
§ The Prairies are home to over half of Canada s certified farmland; however, this proportion is
on the decline
§ The number of certified crop producers is the highest it s been since 2010, at 1,442
§ The proportion of Canadian organic crop producers in the Prairies has increased slightly to 35%
§ Alberta had the greatest increase in crop producers in the country, recording an additional 70
producers in 2016
§ Despite more stagnant crop producer numbers, both Saskatchewan and Manitoba organic
farmland expanded by 20%
§ Livestock operations have grown from 118 to 132 in the Prairies
PURPOSE
The third-annual edition of this report has been created in response to the demand for organic sector
information specific to the Prairie provinces. Providing data and analysis allows for businesses to
proactively plan, take advantage of opportunities, and anticipate supply changes. Having access to better
data supports policy and programming that facilitates development and growth in the organic sector. It
can also help inform the allocation of resources such as funding or technical assistance to ensure that
support is appropriately targeted.
Whether the information is used for educational programs, supporting policy and programming efforts,
or for private sector business planning, this report is a useful resource for the organic sector in the
Prairies. Data from this report is used by the Prairie Organic Grain Initiative and the provincial organic
associations. As a result of this data collection and analysis, the prairie organic sector will be better set
for successful programming, business planning and policy work.
METHODOLOGY
Organic Certification Bodies (CB) across Canada and the U.S. voluntarily supply the operation and
acreage data to COTA for analysis and release. While the data submitted becomes more robust year over
year, it can still vary in detail, categorization, and delivery format. For this reason, the numbers
presented in this report represent a best estimate using the data provided. Ongoing efforts are in place
to streamline and facilitate the data collection process and improve the quality and breadth of the data
collected.
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In an effort to better represent organic acreage, 2015 acreage categories have been revised following
consultations with experts in organic production. The revised categories are presented in this report.
Due to these changes, only 2015 and 2016 data can be presented in most cases. Comparisons with
historical reports may thus show some discrepancies across categories.
Analysis Notes
§ All numbers presented are best estimates using data provided
§ Acreage refers to land measured in acres
§ This analysis only includes operations and acreage that are certified organic, as per the
Canadian Organic Regime
§ Acreage and operators in transition are not included, as it is nearly impossible to track;
regulations require operators to be under the supervision of a certification body only in the last
15 months of transition
§ There are three operation types. It s important to note that one operation may fall in one or
more of these three categories:
o The Processor category includes a spectrum of organic operations, including processors,
handlers, millers, seed cleaners, abattoirs, broker/buyers, baggers, and packagers
o Crop Producers are defined as those who produce or collect crops (field crops,
vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc.)
o Livestock Operations are those with organic livestock on farm
§ Data for 2009-2012 was collected by the Canadian Organic Growers. Data for 2013-2016 was
collected and analyzed by COTA
§ Any percentages below five percent may not be labelled in proportional charts for reasons of
legibility
§ Due to rounding, some totals may not be exactly equal to the sum of the sub-categories
COTA would like to sincerely thank all organic Certification Bodies and associations that
provided the data used in this analysis. Their voluntary participation plays a valuable
role in understanding and supporting the organic sector in the Prairies and across
Canada.
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ORGANIC OPERATIONS IN THE PRAIRIES
The Prairies remain an important part of Canada s organic agricultural sector. Nationally, there were
5,459 certified organic operations in 2016, up from 5,051 in 2015. Of these, 4,156 were categorized as
producers, 1,739 as processors (including handlers, manufacturers, and retailers), and 685 as livestock
operations.
In the Prairies, there was an expansion of organic operations across all provinces. Saskatchewan is home
to the largest number of operations (912), followed by Alberta (513) and Manitoba (207). This represents
an addition of 133 operations across the three provinces between 2015 and 2016. The Prairies are home
to over one-third of certified organic producers and nearly 30% of total organic operations in Canada,
but only 12% of processors and 19% of livestock operations.
CROP PRODUCERS
Prairie organic producer numbers are climbing but have not surpassed the 2009 estimate of 1,610
producers. Following the recession, producer numbers dipped, hitting a low in 2013. Since then, the
number of organic producers has steadily increased, reaching 1,442 in 2016. This is especially promising
considering that the number of farms across Canada is declining, whereas the number of organic
producers is growing.
In 2015, Alberta surpassed its previous 2009 peak of 319, reaching 380 crop producers. In 2016, Alberta
again had noteworthy growth in producer numbers, adding 70 to its total. This significant growth is
attributed in large part to recently certified organic farms located in the Mackenzie County region.
Saskatchewan continues to dominate in terms of the number of organic producers. But despite having
the most organic producers in the region, Saskatchewan has seen an overall decline in producer numbers
since 2009, with a few slight upturns in 2014 and 2016. The drop in Saskatchewan s number of organic
farmers mirrors overall declines in farmer numbers in the region, albeit at a lesser rate. Similar to the
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long-standing trend in conventional agriculture, organic acreage continues to expand while producer
numbers drop, reflecting the consolidation of Saskatchewan organic farms.
168
153
158 134 138
134
131
124
MB
SK
AB
839
824
1123 938 914 842
832 764 450
380
319 275 291 305
266 263
Manitoba is nearing the same number of producers as it had during its peak in 2009. From 2015 to 2016,
Manitoba had the same increase of 15 producers as Saskatchewan, but with its smaller producer base,
this is a more significant expansion. Considering its steady increase in producer numbers since 2013, it
is likely that Manitoba will surpass 168 producers in coming years.
When comparing 2016 data with 2014 data, both Alberta and Manitoba had modest losses of seven and
six processors, respectively. Saskatchewan s numbers, on the other hand, have remained the same.
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FIGURE 2 – Certified Organic Processors in the Prairies by Province, 2009-2016
54
39 48
37 44
96 28 89 89
47 MB
75 67 64 SK
56
AB
76 82 75
70 74 73
57
LIVESTOCK
Nationally, the number of livestock operations FIGURE 3 – Certified Organic Livestock
increased from 618 to 685. In the Prairies, the Operations in the Prairies by Province, 2009-
number grew by 14. Manitoba and 2016
Saskatchewan each recorded one additional 150
livestock operation. Alberta had a more
noteworthy addition of 12 livestock operations. 36 33
100 32
Alberta and Manitoba are more likely to have AB
32
mixed farming systems including both crop 28 31 SK
production and livestock, whereas cropping 67 MB
50 64
systems tend to dominate the organic sector in 55
Saskatchewan. No reliable estimates of
livestock operation type or livestock 0
populations are available. 2014 2015 2016
ORGANIC ACREAGE
OVERVIEW
Organic farmland across the Prairies continues to increase (in the years since acreage has been tracked),
with an addition of 200,000 acres since 2015. This is the only time since 2013 that acreage surpassed
the pre-recession level of 1.42 million in 2009. Although acreage has seen promising expansion, there
has been a drop in the Prairie acreage share of national organic land. Its share was 83% in 2009, but
has slowly been declining, hitting 55% of the national share in 2016. This is largely the result of rapid
gains in both the number of operators and the size of organic farms in Ontario and Quebec.
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TABLE 4 - Organic Acreage in the Prairies, 2009-2016 (million acres)
2009 2010 2011* 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Prairie 1.42 1.32 1.37 1.3 1.44 1.42 1.41 1.64
Total
Cdn Total 1.72 1.72 1.68 2.03 2.31 2.36 2.44 2.90
% of Cdn 83% 77% 81% 61% 62% 60% 58% 55%
Total
* Estimates of acreage were required for this year, as acreage from only a fraction of producers was recorded
FIGURE 4 – Certified Organic Acreage in the Prairies, Total & Share, 2009-2016
83% 90%
1,600 81%
Thousands
77% 112
62% 60% 80%
1,400 57 58%
104 84 92
100 61% 70%
109 55%
1,200 86
60%
1,000 1,085 50%
1,023 873 893
800 987 940
920 781 40%
600 30%
400 20%
200 364 462 426 438 10%
334 294 326 361
- 0%
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
AB SK MB % of Cdn Total
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In absolute terms, pasture, forage, and natural areas is the largest category in all provinces, with an
estimated 862,629 acres. This category accounts for 53% of organic acreage in the region.
Field crops are the second-largest category with 762,271 acres, accounting for 47% of organic acreage.
Fruits and vegetables represent a small share of organic acreage (less than one percent) with an estimated
5,543 acres. Uncategorized crops are only reported for Alberta, due to a limitation of segregating acreage
with one Certification Body. The proportional acreage by acreage category is fairly similar across all
three Prairie provinces.
AB 42% 56%
SK 49% 51%
MB 46% 53%
Prairie
47% 53%
Total
Field Crops Pasture, forage and natural areas Fruits and vegetables Uncategorized
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FIGURE 6 – Proportional Organic Cereal Acreage in the Prairies, 2016
AB 16% 81%
SK 61% 36%
MB 39% 59%
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FIELD CROPS: OILSEEDS
AB 9% 76% 14%
SK 78% 21%
MB 75% 10% 9% 6%
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PASTURE, FORAGE, AND NATURAL AREAS
Table 10 - Pasture, Forage, and Natural This category is a catchall for a number of land use
Areas by Province, 2015 & 2016 types where there is a high degree of cross-over
AB SK MB Prairie between categories. This category includes
Total perennial and annual forages (e.g., alfalfa, clover,
2015 281,359 396,663 56,215 734,237 and grass), permanent pasture, fallow land, green
2016 247,242 556,622 58,765 862,629 manures, wild collection, and natural areas. It is
possible that some green manure acreage has been captured in the field crop acreage above, due to the
way the data is provided. The detailed subcategories are not reported due to concerns over accuracy.
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ALBERTA
Alberta had the greatest increase of organic FIGURE 9 – Alberta Operations, 2014-2016
operations in 2016, along with a relatively
small increase in land base compared to the 2014 2015 2016
other Prairie provinces. The addition of 70
certified producers, 12 livestock operations,
and 18 processors brought the total number
of operations to 513.
75
75
57
67
Many of the added operations are in the
64
55
305
380
450
365
439
513
northern part of the province, in Mackenzie
Primary Livestock Processors etc. Total
County. The increase may be the result of a
Producers Operations Operations
growing critical mass of organic producers; * Total Operations is not a sum of the other categories, as some operations
they tend to occur in clusters, which may fit into multiple categories
89
89
842
824
839
923
883
912
expanded by 15, and livestock operations
56
28
31
32
by one.
Primary Livestock Processors etc. Total
Producers Operations Operations
Saskatchewan surpassed one million * Total Operations is not a sum of the other categories, as some operations may
organic acres in 2016 with the addition of fit into multiple categories
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MANITOBA
FIGURE 11 – Manitoba Operations, 2015 & 2016
Manitoba remains the humblest organic
sector in the Prairies, with 207 operations 2014 2015 2016
and 111,705 acres recorded in 2016. The
sector is fairly stable, with some gains in
producer numbers (+15), and nearly stable
livestock (+1) and processor (+1) numbers.
32
36
33
Organic acreage in Manitoba expanded by
134
138
153
178
177
207
48
47
48
over 20,000 acres, reaching 111,705 ̶ a
Primary Livestock Processors etc. Total Operations
22% increase since 2015. Seventy-five Producers Operations
percent of this growth was in the field crop
* Total Operations is not a sum of the other categories, as some operations
categories, notably among barley, oats, may fit into multiple categories
wheat, and hemp.
Table 14 – Manitoba Acreage, 2015 & 2016
2015 2016 Change % Change For more resources and information on
Field Crops 34,570 51,311 16,741 48% organics in Manitoba, visit the Manitoba
Cereals 24,524 39,993 15,469 63% Organic Alliance website:
Barley 2,582 4,487 1,905 74% www.manitobaorganicalliance.com.
Kamut - - - -
Mixed Grain 1,739 1,479 (260) (15%)
Oats 5,129 15,056 9,927 194%
Rye 3,509 3,126 (383) (11%)
Wheat 10,883 15,276 4,393 40%
Other Cereals 682 569 (113) (17%)
Pulses 2,780 2,456 (324) (12%)
Beans 387 969 582 150%
Lentils 650 38 (612) (94%)
Peas 1,306 1,449 143 11%
Other Pulses and 437 - (437) (100%)
Protein Crops
Oilseeds 6,524 5,249 (1,275) (20%)
Canola - - - -
Flax 3,249 3,948 699 21%
Mustard 1,473 521 (952) (65%)
Soybeans 1,339 460 (879) (66%)
Other Oilseeds 463 320 (143) (31%)
Other Field Crops 742 3,613 2,871 387%
Hemp 267 2,210 1,943 728%
Corn 146 442 296 203%
Buckwheat 319 961 642 201%
Other Field Crops 10 - (10) (100%)
Pasture, Forage 56,215 58,765 2,551 5%
and Natural areas
Fruits and 833 1,629 796 96%
Vegetables
Uncategorized n/a - n/a n/a
TOTAL 91,618 111,705 20,087 22%
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