P.E.I. farms have record year

2013 was a good year for farming on P.E.I., according to a survey released by Statistics Canada Wednesday.

Farmers saw a 24 per cent increase in their realized net income over 2012. John Jamieson, executive director of the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture, said net income has been climbing for a number of years due to good weather, successful harvests and fair prices for livestock and produce.

Revenue is also up significantly.

“Prince Edward Island farmers had almost $500 million in farm gate receipts,” said Jamieson.

“That’s the highest on record. It means they have some money to pay their bills, to reinvest in their farm and gives them a bit of breathing room.”

The realized net farm income in Canada is also up 1.1 per cent to $6.4 billion in 2013. Manitoba saw the biggest increase in the country, just slightly more that P.E.I.’s with a 25 percent increase.