Canada's producers express confidence about the future

Monday, January 16, 2012

by KAREN BRIGGS

Canadian agricultural producers and agribusiness owners are optimistic about the future, according to a Farm Credit Canada survey released Tuesday.

Of the nearly 4,500 producers and agribusiness and agri-food operators who participated in the annual national vision panel survey:

• 77 per cent said they were better off today than they were five years ago (up from 67 per cent in the FCC’s 2010 survey)
• 58 per cent said they plan to expand or diversify in the next five years
• 69 per cent said they would encourage a friend or relative to pursue a career in primary production, and 79 per cent said they would encourage another to pursue a career in an agriculture-related field
• 80 per cent think their farm or business will be better off in five years than it is now – the most optimistic response of the past five surveys.

The survey also broke down attitudes province by province. 

Residents of Saskatchewan proved to be the most optimistic about the future, with 82 per cent expecting that their businesses will improve over the next five years.  Ontarians came second at 81 per cent.  Levels of optimism were lower in the Atlantic provinces and in British Columbia (74 and 75 per cent, respectively).

By sector, levels of positivism were highest among dairy (84 per cent), crops (82 per cent), horticulture (81 per cent) and poultry (81 per cent).  The least optimistic sector surveyed was hog producers, of whom only 75 per cent expected their next five years to be an improvement on their current status.

Jean-Philippe Gervais, FCC senior agriculture economist, noted this year’s response registered the highest level of option since the survey was introduced five years ago.
 
“What’s interesting is that there is not a lot of difference in the levels of optimism between regions of Canada and between agricultural sectors,” he says. “Overall there’s a lot of growth, and producers are excited.”

Nevertheless, there remain concerns and challenges as well as factors beyond anyone’s control such as weather, he says. “But we’re experiencing a lot of innovation and growth that we weren’t seeing five or 10 years ago. The producers see a future.” BF