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Dairy Farms in Canada - Market Research Report (2014-2029)

Shawn McGrath Shawn McGrath New York, United States Last Updated: August 2024 NAICS 11212CA

Revenue

$11.5bn

2024

$11.5bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

$X.Xbn

Employees

17,411

Businesses

12,115

Wages

$XXX.Xm

Dairy Farms in Canada industry analysis

Canadian dairy farmers primarily raise cattle for milking, while most revenue comes from selling milk to dairy processors. Revenue has expanded in recent years, climbing at a CAGR of 2.2% to $11.2 billion through the end of 2024. This includes a 4.6% growth in 2024 alone as macroeconomic indicators, including consumer spending and the CPI for food, continue to climb. While consumer spending has risen, fluid milk consumption has fallen in favour of substitutes, cutting into demand for one of dairy farmers' primary products. Downstream demand for other dairy products, including yogourt, butter and cheese, has risen steadily, bolstering demand for milk products used as inputs for those goods. Dairy farmers operate on a supply management system that manages production volumes and the prices they receive for their goods according to domestic demand. This shields farmers from significant revenue volatility and helps keep profit high, especially as they have been able to pass on price increases to consumers in recent years.

Trends and Insights

  • Dairy farming is capital-intensive, requiring significant investments in machinery. Farmers often rely on advanced technologies like automatic feeders and milking machines to maintain productivity, reducing labour costs but necessitating careful financial planning.
  • Industrial milk is the largest revenue source for Canadian dairy farmers. It's a key ingredient in many food products and drives much of the industry's income. This milk plays a crucial role in various culinary applications.
  • Most businesses operate in Ontario and Quebec. These provinces are the most populous and have a significant downstream manufacturing presence, making them key areas for commercial activity. Understanding these hubs is crucial for market analysis.
  • Competition is low in Canada's dairy market. High tariffs and quotas enforced by provincial dairy boards shield Canadian dairy farms from significant competition. This protection allows dairy farmers to maintain stable prices and control supply.

Access hundreds of analysis and data

  • Market estimates from 2014-2029
  • Critical performance data and rankings
  • Detailed analysis of competitive forces and the external environment
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Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2014-2029)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 2.8 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $11.5bn in 2024.

Trends and Insights

The supply management system has protected prices

  • Dairy farmers in Canada operate under a supply management system overseen by the Canadian Dairy Commission. The system helps to minimize volatility by preventing significant changes in domestic farms' milk production. The commission also imposes price supports that ensure that farmers can receive consistent prices for their products.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Dairy Farms in Canada
Revenue (2014-2029)
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Industry outlook (2024-2029)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

A normalizing economy will slow growth

  • Canadian dairy farms will slow their expansion in the coming years. COVID-19 enabled strong growth as farmers could pass on price increases to consumers, while rampant inflation amid the recovery kept these prices high.

Biggest companies in the Dairy Farms in Canada

Company
Market Share (%)
2024
Revenue ($m)
2024
Profit ($m)
2024
Profit Margin (%)
2024
Walker Farms
5.8
1.3
22.4
Chilliwach Cattle Sales
4.1
0.9
22.0
Ferme Landrynoise
2.7
N/A
N/A

To view the market share and analysis for all 3 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.

Products & Services Segmentation

Dairy Farms in Canada
Products & Services
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Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Fluid milk , Industrial milk and Other. Fluid milk is the largest segment of the Dairy Farms in Canada.

Trends and Insights

Industrial milk is the largest revenue source for dairy farmers

  • Canadian dairy farmers generate more than half their revenue from industrial milk. This is milk that is sold to dairy processors for use in another product, including butter, cheese and ice cream.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

The Dairy Farms industry in Canada primarily milks dairy cattle. Dairy cattle are raised for both milking and meat production, but raising, feeding and fattening cattle as dairy herd replacements are excluded from the industry.

What's included in this industry?

Fluid milk productionIndustrial milk production

Companies

Walker FarmsChilliwach Cattle SalesFerme Landrynoise

Purchase this report to view all 3 major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

INDUSTRIAL MILKORGANICRAW MILKTARIFF RATE QUOTA

Industry Code

NAICS 2007

NAICS 112120 - Dairy Farms in Canada

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

Dairy farming is capital-intensive, requiring significant investments in machinery. Farmers often rely on advanced technologies like automatic feeders and milking machines to...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Employees, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Businesses, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Profit, including historical (2014-2024)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

Industrial milk is the largest revenue source for Canadian dairy farmers. It's a key ingredient in many food products and drives much of the industry's income. This milk play...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets
  • International Trade

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2024
  • Product innovation level
  • Total imports, level and trend
  • Total exports, level and trend
  • Trade Balance

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2024
  • Major market segmentation in 2024
  • International trade, including imports by country and exports by country

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services
  • Recent trends in import and export volumes, country of origin or destination, and expected future trends

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

Most businesses operate in Ontario and Quebec. These provinces are the most populous and have a significant downstream manufacturing presence, making them key areas for comme...

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each province
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2024

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each province in 2024
  • Number and share of revenue each province accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of wages each province accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of employees in each province in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across North America, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Competition is low in Canada's dairy market. High tariffs and quotas enforced by provincial dairy boards shield Canadian dairy farms from significant competition. This protec...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2019-2024
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

Canadian dairy farmers are highly fragmented. This is similar to most other agricultural industries.

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2020 through 2024
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2024
  • Overview of Walker Farms's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
  • Overview of Chilliwach Cattle Sales's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
  • Overview of Ferme Landrynoise's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Description and key data for Walker Farms, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Chilliwach Cattle Sales, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Ferme Landrynoise, and factors influencing its performance in the industry

External Environment

Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

Analyst insights

Dairy products are largely inelastic, but high CPI for food might trigger cutbacks. If the CPI for food rises too much, consumers could start reducing their dairy consumption...

In this chapter

  • External Drivers
  • Regulation & Policy
  • Assistance

Key metrics

  • Regulation & policy level and trend
  • Assistance level and trend

Charts

  • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 
  • Assistance historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 

Detailed analysis

  • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
  • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
  • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

Financial Benchmarks

View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

Analyst insights

Canadian dairy farms are more profitable than the average farm. Price controls and quotas safeguard dairy farmers from imports. These measures help maintain stable income lev...

In this chapter

  • Cost Structure
  • Financial Ratios
  • Key Ratios

Key metrics

  • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
  • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
  • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
  • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

Charts

  • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Investment vs. share of economy

Data tables

  • Liquidity Ratios (2017-2022)
  • Coverage Ratios (2017-2022)
  • Leverage Ratios  (2017-2022)
  • Operating Ratios (2017-2022)
  • Assets (2017-2022)
  • Liabilities (2017-2022)
  • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Employee (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Establishment (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Average Wage (2014-2029)
  • Wages/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Establishments per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • IVA/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Imports/Demand (2014-2029)
  • Exports/Revenue (2014-2029)

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Data Tables

Including values and annual change:

  • Revenue (2014-2029)
  • IVA (2014-2029)
  • Establishments (2014-2029)
  • Enterprises (2014-2029)
  • Employment (2014-2029)
  • Exports (2014-2029)
  • Imports (2014-2029)
  • Wages (2014-2029)

Top Questions Answered

Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

What is the market size of the Dairy Farms industry in Canada in 2024?

The market size of the Dairy Farms industry in Canada is $11.5bn in 2024.

How many businesses are there in the Dairy Farms in Canada industry in 2024?

There are 12,115 businesses in the Dairy Farms industry in Canada, which has declined at a CAGR of 1.5 % between 2019 and 2024.

Has the Dairy Farms industry in Canada grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Dairy Farms industry in Canada has been growing at a CAGR of 2.8 % between 2019 and 2024.

What is the forecast growth of the Dairy Farms industry in Canada over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Dairy Farms industry in Canada is expected to grow.

What are the biggest companies in the Dairy Farms market in Canada?

The biggest companies operating in the Dairy Farms market in Canada are Walker Farms, Chilliwach Cattle Sales and Ferme Landrynoise

What does the Dairy Farms in Canada include?

Fluid milk production and Industrial milk production are part of the Dairy Farms industry.

Which companies have the highest market share in the Dairy Farms in Canada?

The company holding the most market share in Canada is Walker Farms.

How competitive is the Dairy Farms industry in Canada?

The level of competition is moderate and increasing in the Dairy Farms industry in Canada.

Related Industries

Widen your competitive advantage with related industries

Competitors

  • There are no industries to display.

Complementors

  • Beef Cattle Production in Canada
  • Dairy Product Production in Canada
  • Ice Cream Production in Canada
  • Dairy Wholesaling in Canada

International industries

  • Dairy Farms in the US
  • Dairy Cattle Farming in Australia
  • Dairy Cattle Farming in New Zealand
  • Dairy Cattle Raising in the UK
  • Raising of Animals in Ireland

View all industries in Canada

Methodology

How are Alfabank-Adres reports created?

Alfabank-Adres has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for Alfabank-Adres readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of Alfabank-Adres’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

Alfabank-Adres relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

What data sources do Alfabank-Adres analysts use?

Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

Key data sources in Canada include:

  • Statistics Canada
  • Industry Canada
  • Canadian Business Patterns

Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

These sources include:

  • Industry and trade associations
  • Industry federations or regulators
  • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

Finally, Alfabank-Adres’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

How does Alfabank-Adres forecast its data?

Alfabank-Adres’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

Alfabank-Adres prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

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