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A business, not a birthright

Broadcast Date: Jan. 16, 2000

On the original homestead near Claresholm, Alta., Stan and Ron Lamb consider themselves farmers by choice. Over the years, their family farm has grown from a 320-acre spread to a 4,000-acre mixed beef and grain operation supporting 24 people. For son Stan Lamb, farming is a business. "Nobody owes me a living on the farm," he tells a CBC Television reporter. "If we're a success, that's because we maintain a sharp eye to the business side of it."

A business, not a birthright

• One of the most visible signs of the change in agriculture on the Prairies is the disappearance of the grain elevator. These tall buildings, built on rail lines in virtually every small town, were used to store grain before it was loaded onto rail cars.
• In 1933 there were 5,474 licensed grain elevators on the Prairies; in 1983 there were still 2,821. But by 2003 just 382 were left; most of them new, much larger, facilities.

• When the federal government began phasing out the Crow Rate in the 1980s and 1990s, prairie farmers increasingly turned to diversification to stay on the farm. This meant growing crops other than the traditional wheat.
• In Alberta, beef was increasingly common, while hog production ballooned in Manitoba. Many Saskatchewan farmers turned to specialty crops.

• Family farms across the country have also found more novel ways to boost farm income. Some began raising exotic livestock such as bison, llamas and ostriches.
• "Agri-tourism" is another innovation in which farms near urban centres lure visitors from the city with "U-Pick" fruits and vegetables, corn mazes, hay rides and other farm-centred attractions.
• Some farms even converted their homes into bed and breakfast operations to give visitors an extended taste of farm life.

• Despite the risks associated with farming, some young people are still choosing it as a career. In this additional clip, a young Newfoundland farmer growing raspberries and hay and raising sheep says despite the long hours his job satisfaction is huge.

• The number of census farms in Canada peaked at 733,000 in 1941. It has been declining ever since.
• The total number of farms in 2001 was 246,923 — a drop of 10.7 per cent since the 1996 census.
• According to Statistics Canada, 2.4 per cent of Canadians lived on farms in 2001. The total farm population was 727,130.
• In 2001, the total net income for all farms was about $2.7 billion. That averages out to about $11,000 per farm.

A business, not a birthright

Medium: Television

Program: CBC Television News

Broadcast Date: Jan. 16, 2000

Guest(s): Stan Lamb, Ron Lamb

Reporter: Cathy Loyek

Duration: 05:38

Last updated:
June 9, 2005