Last
year, BC farmers earned an average of 11 cents for every dollar’s worth
of sales. Average operating revenues per farm (for farms with at
least $10,000 in revenues) were $362,101 in 2010, of which $321,503
went to cover operating expenses. This means that a typical BC farm had
net earnings of $40,598.
Nationally, the average farm netted $51,117 in operating income.
Although Canadian potato farming generated the highest net income
($209,222), other types of farms showed a bigger margin-to-sales ratio.
Operating margins for dairy farming were the highest, at 25 cents for
every dollar of revenue, and oilseed and grain farmers had the second
highest margin rate (24). Operating margins were lowest for hog (7) and
cattle farmers (5). BC was home to five percent (8,850 farms) of the
nation’s farms in 2010.
