| | Agri-Food Statistics Update - Issue No: LS16-2
Collected from a variety of sources, the Statistics and Data Development Section monitors statistical indicators of agri-food activity for Alberta. The Agri-Food Statistics Update is designed to provide users with commentary on current issues, trends and new developments related to agriculture and the food and beverage processing industries. Up-to-date statistics are supplemented with informative charts and diagrams. To gauge Alberta’s performance, comparative data and information are often available for Canada and the provinces.
The estimates present potential marketings (i.e. supply which could become available), based on the size of the breeding herd and imports. Such information is useful to producers and others when making decisions relating to marketings, pricing, future production, as well as in estimating farm income and farm expenses.
The process involves verifying commodity supply and disposition variables to arrive at ending stocks. The supply variables are opening stocks, births and imports (interprovincial/international), while the disposition variables include deaths and condemnations, marketings, and exports (interprovincial/international). Administrative data are used where available, supplemented with some estimates where data are not timely or available. Hence, the inventory estimates are subject to revision. Given this limitation, users are advised to exercise some caution when using the estimates.
On August 18, Statistics Canada released the July 1, 2016 inventory estimates for cattle, pigs, and sheep on farms in Alberta and other Canadian provinces.
Key Messages
Cattle and Calves Inventories
- Cattle and calves on Alberta’s farms totalled 5.4 million head, up 1.0 per cent from July 1, 2015.
- The increase in inventory was mainly due to a rise in all cattle classes with the exception of beef cows and steers.
- The decline in beef cow numbers was largely due to high cow slaughter levels during the first half of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015.
Pig Inventories
- Alberta’s total pig herd on farms was estimated at 1.5 million head, up 1.3 per cent from July 1, 2015.
- The major factor impacting pig inventories was the strong consumer demand for pork.
Sheep and Lamb Inventories
- The size of the provincial flock on farms in Alberta was 185,000 head, down 5.1 per cent from a year earlier.
- Strong slaughter lamb and sheep prices continue to encourage marketings.
Other Comparisons
- Nationally, cattle and calf, and pig inventories grew, while sheep and lamb inventories decreased.
- Alberta continues to rank first in the nation in cattle and calf inventories; third in sheep and lamb inventories; and fourth in pig inventories.
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For a complete copy of this update, please download the attached pdf. |
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