Canadian farmers' total equity growth slowed for the first time in five years in 2024 as liabilities grew faster than assets, Statistics Canada reported. Farmland prices led to most of the growth, while declining farm income led to less ability to service debts.

Canadian farm liabilities outpaced equity growth in 2024
Farmers see declining ability to service debt for second consecutive year

Farmers’ realized net income fell $3.3 billion in 2024: StatCan
Livestock receipts rose across all sectors except poultry; crop receipts fell
Canadian farmers' realized net income declined by nearly 26 per cent in 2024 according to preliminary data from Statistics Canada. This was largely driven by declines in crop receipts as prices fell.

USDA forecasts smaller drop in 2024 farm income
Chicago | Reuters – U.S. farm income will fall for a second consecutive year in 2024, but not as much as previously expected as prices of livestock and egg products boom and production expenses ease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Thursday. Declining farm income could ripple across the rural economy in a presidential […] Read more

Farm equity, asset values up in 2023: StatCan
Farms' ability to pay debts declined but balance sheet remains strong
The total equity of the Canadian farm sector rose nearly eight per cent in 2023 while farm assets rose more than seven per cent according to Statistics Canada’s 2023 balance sheet.

US farmers opt for soy to limit losses as all crop prices slump
In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast farmers would plant 86.5 million acres of soybeans nationwide this spring, the fifth most ever. Some analysts expect soybean acres to increase by another million acres or more as heavy rains close the window on corn planting.

Realized Canadian farm income up, net income down in 2023
Total farm cash receipts rose 4.4 per cent compared with 2022 on higher crop marketings; cattle prices
Realized net income for Canadian farmers rose 18.3 per cent in 2023 to C$14.5 billion, as growth in receipts offset a rise in expenses, according to a report from Statistics Canada released May 29.

Deere cuts 2024 profit forecast as sliding farm income stifles demand
Deere has trimmed its annual profit forecast for the second time, squeezed by slumping demand for tractors and combines as falling crop prices pressure farm income.

Do farmers feel wealthy?
Strong balance sheets are being offset by rising costs, tempering producer optimism
Reading Time: 5 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – At the end of 2017, Canadian farm debt topped $100 billion. At the time, it was a bigger number than the national debt of 135 countries, noted Country Guide columnist Gerald Pilger. The climb hasn’t stopped. The figure rose steadily since crossing the $100-billion threshold. As of 2022, the most recent year […] Read more

New farm income record set in 2023, estimates suggest
Despite challenges like drought and war, Canadian farms proved resilient
Canadian farm income may have set a new record in 2023. That's according to the official 2023 and 2024
estimates released February 16 by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Number of US farms falls and size increases, census shows
Number of acres in production falls by 20 million
Farms in the U.S. continued to get larger and the number of farms fell between 2017 and 2022, new data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed on Tuesday.