Statistical Profile of Pictou County Prepared by the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture 1 Contents 1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Agriculture in the Local Economy ......................................................................................................... 2 2.0 Population and Population Change .................................................................................................. 3 3.0 Economic Profile ............................................................................................................................... 4 4.0 Agricultural Profile of Pictou County ................................................................................................ 5 4.1 Number of Farms .......................................................................................................................... 5 4.2 Farm Revenue ............................................................................................................................... 7 4.3 Farm Expenses ............................................................................................................................ 10 4.4 Land Use ...................................................................................................................................... 12 4.5 Farm Size ..................................................................................................................................... 13 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 15 Appendix ..................................................................................................................................................... 16 2 1.0 Introduction Agriculture in the Local Economy Pictou County is home to a variety of farm production activities from fruit and tree nut farming to animal production. This agricultural diversity and innovation is important to economic development in Pictou County. In 2010, Pictou County farms reported a total of approximately $19.7 million in farm receipts which accounted for 3.31% of all receipts reported in Nova Scotia. In the same year, farms in Pictou County reported a total business operating expense of approximately $16.1 million. Thus, agriculture in Pictou produced a surplus of $3.6 million. In regard to employment, health care, trade, manufacturing, and education are the dominant industries in the Northern region. Although employment in agriculture in Pictou is lower than in other industries, agriculture remains a significant sector to the local economy. The emerging industry of agri- tourism benefits the local economy and promotes local agriculture. Agri-tourism projects in Pictou County include farmers’ markets, u-picks, farm accommodations, and the annual exhibition. Despite a slight decline in the number of acres used for farming purposes, the overall number of farms has increased since 2006. Indeed, Pictou County ranks fifth among all counties in regard to its use of arable land (“Pictou County,” para. 3). With 13% of arable land being used for agricultural production, Pictou meets the provincial average of 13% (“Pictou County,” para. 3). It is clear that agriculture remains a vital industry to the economy in Pictou and will continue to play its role in the future of Nova Scotia’s economy. 3 2.0 Population and Population Change Between the years 2006 and 2011, Pictou County experienced a total population decline of 1.9% or a total of 870 people. Table 1 demonstrates that, for the most part, Pictou experienced a decline in population across all census subdivisions. The only places to experience population growth were New Glasgow and Fisher’s Grant reserve with increases of 1.1% and 8.9% respectively. Pictou County’s rate of population change (-1.9%) fell below that of Nova Scotia’s (0.9%). Table 1: Population of Pictou and Census Subdivisions, 2006-2011 Area 2011 2006 % Change Pictou County 45,643 46,513 -1.9 Subdivision A 6,397 6,412 -0.2 Subdivision B 6,014 6,103 -1.5 Subdivision C 8,867 9,038 -1.9 Fisher's Grant (Reserve) 467 429 8.9 New Glasgow (Town) 9,562 9,455 1.1 Pictou (Town) 3,437 3,813 -9.9 Stellarton (Town) 4,485 4,717 -4.9 Trenton (Town) 2,616 2,741 -4.6 Westville (Town) 3,798 3,805 -0.2 Note: Adapted from Statistics Canada, 2011. The population of Pictou County is predominately concentrated in population centres. Since 2006, both rural regions and population centres experienced population declines of 1.1% and 2.6% respectively. Table 2: Pictou County, Rural and Population Centres1, 2006-2011 2011 2006 Population % of Total Population % of Total Rural 21,745 47.6 21,982 47.3 Population Centre 23,898 52.4 24,531 52.7 Total 45,643 100 46,513 100 Note: Adapted from Statistics Canada, 2011. 1 Population centre refers to an area of at least 1,000 and no fewer than 400 persons per square kilometer. Beginning in 2011, the term ‘population centre’ replaces the term ‘urban area’ from previous censuses. 4 3.0 Economic Profile In 2013, the Northern region (including Colchester, Cumberland, Pictou, Guysborough, and Antigonish)2 represented approximately 26% of the agricultural industry in Nova Scotia. Although, an estimate for Pictou County is not specifically given, the data indicates that its geographic region is a significant component to the agricultural industry in Nova Scotia. In comparison to the other industries in the Northern region, agriculture accounted for approximately 2.03% of all jobs in the region, which is higher than the provincial average of 1.17%. The industries with the highest employment in the Northern region were trade, health care and social assistance, manufacturing and educational services. Table 3: Northern Region, Total Employment by Industry, 2013 Nova % of Nova Scotia's % of Northern Region's Industry Scotia Total Employment Northern Total Employment Total employed, all industries 453,800 100 68,800 100 Agriculture 5,300 1.17 1,400 2.03 Forestry, fishing, mining, etc. 11,200 2.47 2,100 3.05 Utilities 4,600 1.01 600 0.87 Construction 33,500 7.38 4,900 7.12 Manufacturing 30,600 6.74 7,200 10.47 Trade 73,000 16.09 13,000 18.9 Transportation and warehousing 19,600 4.32 3,600 5.23 Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing 22,100 4.87 2,000 2.91 Professional, scientific and technical services 27,800 6.13 2,100 3.05 Business, building and other support services 23,500 5.18 2,500 3.63 Educational services 36,700 8.09 5,400 7.85 Health care and social assistance 69,400 15.29 11,400 16.57 Information, culture and recreation 19,300 4.25 2,100 3.05 Accommodation and food services 29,000 6.39 4,400 6.4 Other services 18,600 4.1 2,800 4.07 Public administration 29,400 6.48 3,200 4.65 Note: Adapted from Statistics Canada, 2013. 2 The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) divides Nova Scotia into 5 geographical regions. The Northern region includes Colchester, Cumberland, Pictou, Guysborough, and Antigonish counties. According to the Labour Force Survey Estimates (LFS), some areas are too small to enable production of independent estimates from the survey. Thus, smaller regions with similar economic characteristics are grouped together. 5 Figure 1 displays a clear comparison of the percentages of total employed by each industry in Nova Scotia and the Northern region. 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 % of Total Employed 2 Nova Scotia 0 Northern Region Industry Figure 1: % of Total Employed by Industry: Northern Region vs. Nova Scotia, 2013. Note: Adapted from Statistics Canada, 2013. 4.0 Agricultural Profile of Pictou County 4.1 Number of Farms From 2006 to 2011, the total number of farms in Pictou County had increased by four. Table 4 indicates that the predominant farm types in Pictou County were fruit and tree nut (25.3%), other crop farming (22.4%), and cattle ranching (19.5%). Although ranching cattle remains a dominant farm activity in Pictou, it had dramatically decreased since 2006 from 88 to 54 farms (-38.64%). On the other hand, other animal production; sheep and goat; vegetable and melon; fruit and tree nut; and other crop farming had all increased since 2006. All other types of farm production have either decreased or remained the same. 6 Table 4: Pictou County, Total Number of Farms by Farm Type, 2006-2011 Farm Type 2011 2006 % Change # of Farms % of Total # of Farms % of Total Cattle ranching and farming 54 19.5 88 32.2 -38.64 Hog and pig farming 1 0.4 0 0 0 Poultry and egg production 3 1.1 0 0 0 Sheep and goat farming 15 5.4 13 4.8 15.38 Other animal production 39 14.1 28 10.3 39.29 Oilseed and grain farming 4 1.4 0 0 0 Vegetable and melon farming 9 3.2 9 3.3 11.11 Fruit and tree nut farming 70 25.3 60 21.9 16.67 Greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production 20 7.2 24 8.8 -16.67 Other crop farming 62 22.4 51 18.7 21.57 Total farms 277 100 273 100 1.47 Note: Retrieved from Statistics Canada, 2011. It is evident that the percentage of other crop farming (22.4%) in Pictou County was significantly higher than that of the provincial percentage of 17%. The percentage of greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production in Pictou County fell below that of the provincial average by 6.9%. 30 25 20 15 10 5 % of Total Farms 0 Pictou Nova Scotia Farm Type Figure 2: % of Total Farms by Farm Type: Pictou County vs. Nova Scotia, 2011 Note: Adapted from Statistics Canada, 2011. Table 5 demonstrates that Pictou’s Subdivision