title: Demographics of the Canadian dairy industry from 1991 to 2011.
abstract: A retrospective study of the demographics of the Canadian dairy industry was conducted using data derived from Statistics Canada's Census of Agriculture from 1991 to 2011. This longitudinal study shows that Canada's dairy industry has undergone considerable consolidation. From 1991 to 2011, the number of dairy producers and dairy farms decreased by 48.9% and 61.9%, respectively. Furthermore, this trend in consolidation is likely to continue; nearly half (45.8%) of all dairy producers in Canada were ≥ 50 y of age in 2011. Not only will most of these producers be retired by 2021, but younger producers will also exit the industry for other reasons. These findings mirror what is occurring in Canada's cow-calf industry, underscoring that supply-managed sectors experience demographic consolidation similar to non-supply managed sectors. These substantial changes will have ramifications for the veterinary profession. There will be fewer but larger farms, and the services and knowledge demanded of veterinarians will change accordingly, which has implications for food animal veterinary education.
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan S7N 5B4 (Jelinski); Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1 (LeBlanc); Box 787, Queen Charlotte, British Columbia V0T 1S0 (Kennedy).
authors.forename: Murray D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Jelinski
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan S7N 5B4 (Jelinski); Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1 (LeBlanc); Box 787, Queen Charlotte, British Columbia V0T 1S0 (Kennedy).
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan S7N 5B4 (Jelinski); Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1 (LeBlanc); Box 787, Queen Charlotte, British Columbia V0T 1S0 (Kennedy).
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada; D002417:Cattle; D019352:Censuses / Q000266:history*; D003612:Dairying / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies