Farming Practices in Manitoba

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As a farmer in Manitoba, you may choose to practice any or a combination of the following: the tillage of soil, livestock raising and exhibiting, maintaining of horses for racing, raising of poultry, fur farming, dairy farming, mushroom and fruit growing and beekeeping. You may also want to consider operating a nursery or a greenhouse, market gardening, fish farming and chick hatchery. There are over 20,000 farms in Manitoba. Approximately 98% of all Manitoba farms are family-operated, and with an average size of 317 hectares of land. Many farm families also engage in off-farm employment for supplementary income.

Manitoba has a total land area of 55.4 million hectares of which 14.6 million hectares (26.5%) have some agricultural use. Over 9.6 million hectares of this area are non-organic soils, and of that 5.5 million hectares are suitable for sustained annual production of cultivated crops. Further opportunity to expand the agricultural land resource base through use of organic soil areas also exists.

Major Manitoba farm products include wheat, other grains such as barley, oats and rye, oilseeds such as canola, flaxseed and soybeans, a variety of vegetables and fruits, potatoes, beef cattle, swine, dairy cattle and poultry. In addition, farms produce many other specialty crops and livestock products.  The average value of capital (both debt and equity) used by Manitoba farmers is approximately CDN$702,000 per farm operation. Capital investment averages 67% for land and buildings, 22% for machinery and equipment and 11% for livestock and poultry inventories.

To experience the diversity and opportunity of Manitoba’s agriculture, please review the following web sites:

• Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI): www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/index.shtml

• Profiles on agricultural and its individual crop and livestock sectors: www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/statistics/index.html

• Cost of production guidelines; various assistance programs and services: www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/financial/farm/farm.html

• News, information and programs for younger farmers: www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/financial/youngfarmers/index.html

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