OTTAWA - New census numbers from Statistics Canada show the number of Canadian farms is continuing to shrink.
The 2011 census of agriculture shows the number of farms in the country has dropped by about 23,000, or 10.3 per cent, since 2006.
The agency says farmers are consolidating their operations, leading to a nearly seven per cent spike in the size of the average farm.
The data also suggests Canada's farmers are re-evaluating the types of crops they produce.
The farming industry's main crops used to be evenly split between beef and grain, but the latest numbers showed a drop in the number of beef farmers.
Oilseed and grain farms now account for 30 per cent of all farms, compared with 26.9 per cent in 2006, while beef farms fell to 18.2 per cent from 26.3 per cent.
