Canada's Outdoor Farm Show

Second-largest landmass in the world, three times the size of Great Britain
A large market of more than 30 million consumers, giving access to a larger North American market of 400 million
The Canadian agricultural and agri-food sector is the 3rd largest employer in Canada, provides 1/7 jobs
The agri-food sector generates about 6% of Canada’s GDP
The 2001 Census of Agriculture reported over 246,923 farms, with over 346,200 farm operators

In 2001, 85,020 farm operators were on 59,728 farms in Ontario
Farming is Ontario's second largest economic sector, producing gross annual sales of $6.8 billion and employing well over 600,000 people to grow, harvest, process and market the produce
Ontario is Canada’s most productive province, generating a GDP of CDN$517 billion, 42% of the country’s GDP

Nationally, farmers reported that they had 89.9 million acres in crops in 2001, up 4.2% from 1996 - while livestock numbers have also increased: cattle are up by 4.4%, pigs by 26.4%, and sheep by 46%
Farms have been getting bigger. The average farm in 2001 was 676 acres, compared with 608 acres in 1996
The group of farmers under 35 years old represented 11.5% of all farmers in 2001; the middle-aged group (35 to 54) comprised 53.6% and those over 55 made up 34.9%

Ranked first by the UN for its quality of life (standard of living)
Canada has the crucial ingredients for successful agricultural trade: a clean environment, temperate climate and plentiful natural resources

Budget of over $252 million for research initiatives led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, with over 19 major research centers
Delivers safe and high quality products to leading edge farmers and producers
As one of the worlds leading food producers, Canada is best known for its excellent grains, oilseeds, vegetables, meats and dairy products
The search for more diverse products and new markets continued to boost the number of less traditional livestock
Practices such as conservation tillage minimize the number of passes farmers make over their fields, which in turn decreases fuel costs and lowers carbon dioxide emissions

Low, competitive production expenses
Canada’s agriculture, food and beverage sector has a reliable, cost-effective and flexible business environment
High-tech, high-value, knowledge-based sector with significant potential for high growth
Farmers are expanding their crop area and are switching to different crops for economic reasons

A doorway to the US market with North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Canada holds a 9% agri-food cost advantage over the US
One of the most open countries to foreign development
In 2004, agriculture and agri-food exports surpassed CDN$26.5 billion, a 3.51% share of the worlds agri-food trade, making Canada the 3rd largest exporter of agri-food (Ranks 2nd place in food processing)
An internationally recognized food inspection system
Canada offers the lowest costs across all countries studied for labour, land and construction, electricity, and possesses one of the lowest corporate income tax rates