150 years of Canadian agriculture: What’s changed, what hasn’t and what trends will shape farming in the future

This July 1^st, farmers from coast to coast will be busting out BBQs to celebrate our country’s 150^th birthday. And when they take that break from farm chores, they’re pressing pause on a very different operation than farmers ran on that first Dominion Day—or even the operation their grandparents ran 50 years ago.

So what’s changed?

We’ve talked to the experts, surveyed farmers from across the country and pulled together some snapshots highlighting how Canadian agriculture has evolved—and how it’s stayed the same.

Happy New Dominion Day!

For folks in Toronto, the very first Canada Day was marked with a roasted ox and Union Jacks. But for many farmers in the newly united provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, there were chores to be done. An 1867 entry from the University of Guelph’s Rural Diary Archive tersely notes: “New Dominion Day… Bred the pig.”

The agricultural sector in Canada in the mid-19^th century reflected the country’s diverse regions and growing conditions. In the Maritimes, you’d find farmers loading barrels of Annapolis Valley apples destined for Britain. In Quebec, dairy farms dotted the countryside along the pre-seaway St. Lawrence, while more and more Ontarians were starting to export bacon and cheese.

Future Canadian provinces were also engaged in a variety of farming activities. Refugees from the Irish potato famine were putting their agriculture skills to use in Newfoundland. On the other side of the continent, the Gold Rush had fuelled demand for agricultural products in British Columbia. Meanwhile, a handful of ranchers tended cattle at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.

Muscle to money

In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, farmers used horses for everything from clearing land to plowing fields to pulling rakes, reapers and mowers. Mechanization changed all that. Fossil-fuel-powered tractors—which became increasingly commonplace by the 1920s—made it possible to complete the same amount of work in far less time. Having fewer horses also freed up valuable acreage once dedicated to growing oats and hay for the animals.

But that greater productivity came with a price. It took big bucks to purchase and maintain the equipment, while fuel had to be bought rather than grown. Prices were especially steep in the pre-dealership days, as door-to-door salesmen hiked up already-high prices to cover their own expenses.

As a result, debt levels rose and farms became increasingly dependent on banks. During the Second World War, the government stepped in with measures that forced farmers to ease up on equipment purchases. “They actually put some caps on how many pieces you could own… because steel was in such high demand for the war effort,” says Elizabeth Scott, director of research at the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon.

No horsing around

Not every part of the country relied on horses. In Nova Scotia, for example, the draft animal of choice was the ox. And for good reason. Loading and unloading ships required a sturdy, sure-footed animal that would stand in the salt water, even as the tide rose to their bellies. “Horses just wouldn’t put up with that sort of thing,” says Barry Hiltz, site manager at Nova Scotia’s Ross Farm Museum.

Seeds of change

Shortly after Confederation, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald turned his attention to the untapped agricultural potential of the Prairies. Striking a deal with the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1870, the government purchased the vast tracts of land west of Ontario that would eventually form modern-day Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and our three territories.

By the mid-1890s, sod-busting settlers were pouring in. However, the region’s dry climate and short growing season stunted yields. That all changed in 1907, when Marquis wheat hit the scene. The result of much trial and error at the Dominion Experimental Farm in Indian Head, Saskatchewan, the new early-ripening wheat was genetically selected for prairie conditions.

When it was used in conjunction with gas tractors, threshing machines and other marvels of mechanization, production exploded. In 1896, Canada’s Prairies produced eight million bushels of wheat. Fifteen years later, that figure rose to 231 million bushels.

What’s old is new again

Over the years, seed technology has become increasingly sophisticated. Today, high-tech labs engineer everything from herbicide-resistant soybeans to tomatoes with a longer shelf life. “Yields have doubled since farming in the 1950s,” an Ontario livestock and cash crop farmer told us in our survey, citing a jump from 80 bushels of corn per acre to more than 200.

At the same time, consolidation of seed companies has reduced the number of crop varieties available, leading to a growing demand for heirloom and heritage vegetables.

At Nova Scotia’s Ross Farm Museum, for example, you’ll find staff shelling Jacob’s Cattle dry beans by hand—setting aside the ones from high-producing pods to be planted next year. The old-school approach has shown significant results. Over the past 10 years, the number of seeds per pod has increased from five to seven through their selective breeding program.

Weathering the weather

When Russian wheat exports were cut off during the First World War, demand for North American grain surged. However, while the end of the war brought Canadians home from the frontlines of battle, it also brought crop prices back down, putting farmers on a precarious footing.

Then came the drought of 1929. Strong prairie winds lifted the topsoil, while grasshoppers, rust and hailstorms devastated crops across the country. By 1937, land that once yielded 23 bushels per acre now produced an unviable three bushels per acre.

Nature was only partially to blame, as unsustainable farming practices had created the perfect conditions for widespread erosion. Faced with this disaster, farmers and agricultural researchers turned their attention to finding ways to protect the soil.

Those efforts remain relevant today. Extreme weather and changing precipitation patterns caused by climate change bring new environmental challenges to Canadian producers. “It makes it difficult to plan,” says one survey respondent from Nova Scotia, pointing to intense dry spells, winters and wind storms.

Farmers are meeting those challenges in a variety of ways — from using organic farming or no-till practices to installing high-flexion tractor tires to reduce soil compaction.

To-do lists: Now and then

The farm you run might have been in the family since Confederation. But you can bet the daily chores looked a bit different in your great-grandparents’ time. While some things stay the same—fences need mending, animals need to be fed, crops need to be planted and harvested—many more have changed. Our fictitious McInnis Farm highlights some of those differences.  

McInnis Farm, 1867 - 100 acres, Ontario

Chores

- Check on the pregnant mare (Canada’s first veterinary college didn’t open until 1862 in Toronto, so most farmers had no access to vets.)

- Help out at the corn-husking bee (Many hands make light work — and a work bee was also a great opportunity for feasting and fiddle music.)

- Chop and haul wood (Since wood was the main source of fuel, you’d want to keep 25 acres or so of your hundred-acre farm as a woodlot.)

- Plow the fields (Hold on tight! Handling a horse-drawn plow took a lot of strength and skill.)

- Sew feedbags (Sewing machines and ready-made fabric meant women no longer had to spin or weave. However, clothes, feedbags and more were still made at home.)

- Can vegetables (Canning was an essential skill in 1867 — made easier by newly introduced Mason jars.)

- Head to the logging camp (For many farmers, working at winter logging camps brought in essential income.)

McInnis Farm, 2017 - 250 acres, Ontario

Chores

- Update the farm store website (You can bet no one ever asked Great-Granddaddy McInnis about his social media strategy. But today, we rely on the internet for everything from marketing to data management to YouTube videos on how to make your own mulch.)

- Download new weather app (From soil sensors to drone-based crop monitoring, agriculture today is becoming increasingly high-tech.)

- Fix combine (Today, most farmers must be part mechanic to keep their fleet of equipment in working order.)

- Harvest the okra (In 1867, the McInnis family might be packing up bacon, wheat and cheese for export to the U.S. and Britain. Today, it could be anything from bison burgers and blueberries to quinoa and kale.)

- File corporate returns (Is the barn the new boardroom? Although most farms continue to operate as family operations, a growing number are choosing to register as corporations.)

- Go to work (The majority of farm families these days rely on off-farm income to make ends meet.)

Top five skills and knowledge farmers need today

We surveyed farmers from coast to coast about the skills they think are must-haves on today’s modern operation. Here’s how they voted:

1. Practical skills (mechanical repair, carpentry, etc.) (64%)

1. Business management (finances, reporting, managing employees, etc.) (52%)
2. Crop science (understanding best growing practices, fertilizers, etc.) (48%)
3. Sales, marketing & communications (41%)
4. Animal care (41%)

By the numbers

The game-changers

What technological developments have transformed agriculture in Canada? Here’s our top seven.

Horse-powered threshing machine

For thousands of years, farmers used hand-held flails to separate grain from the husks. However, by the mid-1800s, threshing machines allowed Canada’s farmers to complete the chore in minutes instead of hours.

Canadian Pacific Railway

All aboard! The completion of this transcontinental railroad in 1885 united the newly formed nation and connected farmers with new markets from coast to coast.

Gas-powered tractors

When the first tractors appeared, they were just lumbering monstrosities, says Dr. Catharine Wilson, Redelmeier Professor in Rural History at the University of Guelph. “They look like tanks,” she says. Smaller options were introduced in the 1920s, but it wasn’t until the Second World War that tractors became more commonplace.

Electricity

Although Toronto had an electric generator powering the lights of a downtown skating rink in 1881, electrification in rural Canada didn’t gain momentum until the 1920s (and well after the Second World War in many parts of the country). When power did start flowing to farms, you’d often find it in the barn before the farmhouse, owing to importance of improving productivity.

Chemical fertilizers and pesticides

Over the past century, the average yields for corn, oats, wheat and barley have more than doubled—thanks in no small part to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. However, their use has raised concerns about the impact on soil health and the environment.

The Internet

Whether you’re promoting your harvest of spuds, researching new mulching techniques or trading livestock online, the worldwide web has become an integral part to any operation.

Drones

Consider aerial drones a future game-changer. From assessing plant health with thermal imaging crop sensors to applying highly targeted insecticides, the sky’s the limit for this high-tech tool in agricultural settings.

For better or for worse

Some changes to agriculture in Canada have been met with open arms. Others, not so much. We invited farmers to tell us what changes since their parents’ generation have made farming easier — and which are proving to be a pain in the neck.

Responses rolled in from across the country from producers big and small, conventional and organic. And while they revealed a lot of problems facing our agriculture sector, they also showed a lot of optimism. “It's still a great time to be a farmer in Canada,” said one our respondents. “That hasn't changed even with all of the challenges.”

Top five changes that have made farming easier

1. Access to online information (64%)
2. Better seeds/breeds (39%)
3. Improvements to farm machinery (32%)
4. Web-based marketing tools (e.g., websites, social media) (30%)
5. Increase in the popularity of farmers’ markets, CSAs and other direct farm marketing (30%)

--“Direct marketing is much more profitable since I was on my parents farm. You used to have to price below retail to sell at the farm gate. Now you can sell at par or above if you have a premium product.” — market gardener, British Columbia

--“Our level of production has increased dramatically in both yield and quality through improvements in technology and agronomy.” — cash crop farmer, Alberta

Top five changes that have made farming more difficult

1. Changes in CFIA or other government regulations (43%)

1. Access to land (36%)
2. Diseases (BSE, swine flu, avian flu, crop diseases, etc.) (32%)
3. Labour shortage (30%)
4. Climate change (30%)

--“Few people could afford [to] get into farming today, unless they inherit the family farm” — market gardener, Prince Edward Island

--“Far too many regulatory bodies and rules nowadays” — livestock producer, Manitoba

--“Fewer people available to work and harder to find ones that know how to work on farms” — mixed farmer, Nova Scotia

Top five current trends that will have the biggest impact

Our survey respondents weighed in on the most important trends to keep an eye on over the next decade.

1. Land prices/availability of land (75%)
2. Climate change (45%)
3. Changes in consumer tastes such as demand for local and/or organic (39%)
4. New pests and diseases (36%)
5. Labour shortages (30%)

--“The growth of local food and small-scale ag has been mind blowing and encouraging.” — market gardener, Ontario

Timeline

• 1819: The iron plow is patented in the U.S.

• 1858: Mason jars are invented

• 1867: Confederation unites the British colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in one Dominion of Canada
• 1874: Ontario Agricultural College is founded
• 1878: First telephones are installed in Hamilton, Ontario
• 1882: Electric lights wow visitors at the Canadian National Exhibition
• 1885: The Canadian Pacific Railway is completed, joining the new nation together and opening new markets for agricultural goods
• 1892: First gasoline tractor is built, reducing demand for hay and horses
• 1897: 4H Club is founded
• 1914: The First World War begins
• 1929: A devastating drought begins that will continue until 1937
• 1935: Canadian Wheat Board is founded
• 1938: Ontario makes the pasteurization of milk mandatory
• 1939: The Second World War begins
• 1947: Canada signs the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
• 1966: Canadian Dairy Commission is founded
• 1985: Canada introduces the Fertilizers Act to regulate the safe and effective use of products
• 1994: Canola replaces wheat as the biggest Prairie crop
• 1999: The Canadian General Standards Board comes out with the first national organic standards
• 2002: Canada introduces the Pest Control Products Act
• 2003: The discovery of cattle infected by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy prompts the U.S. to close the border to Canadian beef
• 2009: Outbreak of swine flu (H1N1) reaches more than 70 countries, including Canada
• 2012: Sale of Wheat Board

The face of farming

As a farmer in 1867, you likely wouldn’t have spent much time in a classroom. Things look a lot different today. In 2011, over half of farm operators had a post-secondary education. (At the same time, it’s harder and harder today to find farmhands who have hands-on farming experience.)

In 1871, almost half the working population in Canada was employed in agriculture. In 1921, farming was still the country’s most common occupation. By 2008, however, farmers accounted for just one out of every 50 Canadians—less than 2 per cent of our labour force.

Now, for the first time ever, Canadian farmers in the 55-and-older category represent the largest percentage of total operators. In 2011, the average age was 54 years old.

- Josh Martin