Agriculture and Agrifoods
Total farm cash receipts increased by 4.2 per cent in 2006 to
$94.8 million fed by a 7.7 per cent growth rate in milk sales
to $37.8 million, making it the main driver of agricultural growth.
The largest reported categories of agricultural products in the
province in 2006 were:
- Dairy products (40 per cent of total receipts)
- Eggs (13 per cent of total receipts)
- Floriculture and nursery products (9 per cent of total receipts)
Other agricultural products accounted for the remaining 38 per cent of total receipts
- Hens and chickens
- Furs
- Cattle
- Vegetables
In 2006 the agrifoods industry provides approximately 6,200 jobs in this province and has primary and value-added production valued at $500 million. The total farmed acreage of 22,671 acres in Newfoundland for 2006 means an average farm size of 160 acres. Operating expenses reached $91.9 million, total gross receipts were $107 million, 68 farms had receipts over $250,000 accounting for 82.5 per cent of total farm production in province, and 43 farms had receipts over $500,000.
In addition, there were 1,918 acres of blueberries (up 60.2 per cent), the highest rate of increase in Atlantic Canada since 2001. The number of dairy cows increased by 32.9 per cent to 6,259 from 2001 and 50 greenhouses had total annual sales of $ 6.5 million. There were 111,100 mink pelts produced, a 229 per cent increase from the previous years. The fox farm industry is largest in Atlantic Canada with 3,060 animals with the highest number of fox per farm—383 compared to 117 nationally.
As of 2006 there were 248 farms on the Avalon Peninsula.
Some examples of major agrifoods producing companies located on the Northeast Avalon include:
Country Ribbon is a Newfoundland poultry company employing 350 people is owned by ACA Co-op and Co-op Atlantic. It produces a full range of eggs, fresh chicken and chicken products for fast food franchises and grocery shelves across Newfoundland. Country Ribbon also operates a grow-out facility, processing plant and a feed mill that produces many types of palletized feeds for the livestock industry and
Scotsburn Co-operative Services Limited, also referred to as Scotsburn Dairy Group, is a century old dairy processing and distribution co-op that serves 500 dairy and livestock farmers in the four Atlantic Provinces. It operates three processing facilities and various strategically located distribution centres in Newfoundland and Labrador. The co-operative employs over 800 people.
Central Dairies is a division of Farmers Cooperative Dairy of Nova Scotia. Central Dairies operates one processing plant in the Northeast Avalon processing and producing 350 products including fluid milk, ice cream, and soft serve ice cream mix for local and export markets. The company also manufactures private label soft mix for McDonalds Restaurant and Dairy Queen Canada as well as private label ice cream products for Regional and National supermarket chains.
Central Dairies is also a distributor of many regional, national and international known dairy products. Years of growth and expansion, including a $ 2.5 million capital investment in 2007, have made Central Dairies’ Mount Pearl processing plant the province’s largest It was the first food manufacturer in the province to be HACCP certified under the Food Safety Enhancement Program.
For more information about the agriculture and agri-foods industry in the Province, please contact the Federation of Agriculture.