In 1980 there were approximately 320,000 family farms in Canada. That number was down sharply from 1941 when the count was a staggering 732,000 farms feeding a population of 11.5 million. Canada was then called “Breadbasket of the World.”
Jumping ahead to the present day, there are now 190,000 such farms, while our current population is 43 million.
The occupation of farming is still known as “next year country”, a term that originated on the Canadian prairies. The start-up costs are in the millions of dollars for land and equipment. The short summers and uncertain rainfall add to the risk. On top of that the world market price varies greatly from year to year.
“My grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher. But every day, three times a day you need a farmer.” ~ Brenda Schoepa
Location: Rivers, Manitoba
Date: Summer 1981
Source: Pentax ME Super with Kodacolor 125 ASA film
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