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Thunder Bay Agriculture facts
Welcome to Thunder Bay! We have a diverse and active farming community, which includes beef, equine, dairy, horticulture, silviculture, poultry, pork and more. Thunder Bay Federation of Agriculture presents the following facts as compiled by Statistics Canada:
| Farms by Industry |
| Dairy Farms | 32 |
| Beef Farms | 26 |
| Poultry & Egg | 5 |
| Sheep & Goat | 9 |
| Other Animal | 52 |
| Oilseed & Grain farming | 4 |
| Vegetable farming | 10 |
| Fruit tree farming | 9 |
| Greenhouses, nursery | 35 |
| Other crop farming | 70 |
| Total farms | 252 | |
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| Major Field Crops (hectares) |
| Winter wheat | 176 |
| Oats | 26 |
| Barley | 1,573 |
| Mixed grains | 65 |
| Hay | 8,733 |
| Soybeans | 120 |
| Potatoes | 170 |
| Major Fruit Crops(hectares) |
apples, raspberries, strawberries |
38 |
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| Livestock Inventories |
| Dairy cows | 2,534 |
| Beef cows | 1,067 |
| Steers | 310 |
| Total cattle & calves |
7,609 |
| Total pigs | 206 |
| Total sheep & lambs | 753 |
Major Vegetable Crops
(hectares) |
Sweet corn,tomatoes, peas,
beans |
39 |
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 2006 census of Agriculture & Economic Development Policy Branch, OMAFRA Jun-07
| Land Use (hectares) |
| Land in crops | 11,906 |
| Summerfallow land | 66 |
| Tame pasture | 1,361 |
| Natural pasture | 3,428 |
| Christmas trees,woodland & wetland | 6,702 |
| All other land | 1,567 |
| Total area of farms | 25,030 |
Total gross receipts of all farms as reported by Statistics Canada is over $32,000,000.
Total input costs are nearly $25,000,000.
Total capital investment $133,000,000.
Thunder Bay District Agriculture Economic Impact Study Released
The numbers prove it – agriculture is a positive force in the region.
At the EIS release on October 17th, there was much to celebrate. With continued financial growth shown in the historical data and with great potential for expansion of agriculture in the future, farming in Thunder Bay District is a spot of sunshine in the economy of Northwestern Ontario. With over $32.3 million in gross farm receipts and 605 on-farm jobs, just direct farm impact is significant. With indirect and induced jobs, total jobs as a result of agriculture are between 1400 and 1850.
“This report indicates that farming is on the rise in the area,” stated Peggy Brekveld, president of TBFA. “By continuing to support our research facilities and developing more added value opportunities, agriculture will continue to be a driving force in our local economy.”
Area gross farm receipts are the highest for Northern Ontario at $30,600/farm, and well above the provincial average of $26,200. As well, the number of farms in the district grew between the last two census reports to 252, up from 238.
To read the full report, click on the cover on the right.
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Funding for this project was provided in part by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the
Agricultural Adaptation Council’s CanAdvance Program, Farm Credit Canada, Food Security Research Network and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
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