OTTAWA - Farmers' gross market receipts rose for the third straight year in 2006, although they remained slightly below levels prior to the mad-cow crisis and gains in crop revenues were dampened by tumbling hog receipts.
Market receipts -- the revenues from the sale of crops and livestock -- reached $32.4 billion in 2006, up 1.9 per cent from 2005, and just short of the peak set in 2002.
The figure was 2.5 per cent above the 2001-2005 average, a period which included two years of droughts and the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis.
Farmers received $14.5 billion in crop revenues, up 7.9 per cent from 2005 and 4.6 per cent above the previous five-year average, largely on the strength of higher deliveries combined with stronger grain and oilseed prices.
In contrast, livestock receipts fell 2.5 per cent to $17.9 billion as higher cattle and calf receipts were more than offset by a big drop in hog revenues; livestock revenues were 0.9 per cent above the previous five-year average.
Program payments totalled $4.5 billion in 2006, down 8.3 per cent from the record high set in 2005 as the Farm Income Payment and BSE-related programs were winding down.
Total farm cash receipts -- crop and livestock revenues plus program payments -- reached $37 billion in 2006, marginally higher than in 2005, but a new record nevertheless.
