Agricultural Regions

Contained within the 3rd Edition (1957) of the Atlas of Canada is a map that shows two condensed maps illustrating the division of Canada into agricultural regions based on the percentage of total gross farm revenue obtained from a particular source in 1951. The four primary divisions were made according to specific criteria. For Livestock Specialty divisions 70% or more of the gross farm revenue was from sales of livestock and livestock products. This was divided into three subdivisions: Dairy Emphasis, where sales of dairy products made up over 40% of total sales; Cattle Emphasis, where sales of cattle made up over 40% of sales; and General, where neither dairy products or cattle sales represented over 40% of total sales of livestock and livestock products. For Grain Specialty divisions 70% or more of the gross farm revenue was from sales of grain and hay. This was divided into two subdivisions: General, where no single crop acreage exceeded 40% of the total acreage; and Wheat, where the wheat acreage exceeded 40% of the total acreage. For Combination Grain and Livestock divisions less than 70% of the gross farm revenue was from either crops or livestock. This was divided into two subdivisions: Cash Crop Emphasis, where the gross revenue from cash crops and grain exceeded that of livestock; and Livestock Emphasis, where the gross revenue from livestock exceeded that from grain and cash crops. For Special Crops divisions 50% or more of the gross farm revenue was from some special crops. This was divided into three subdivisions: Tobacco or Potatoes, where 50% or more of the gross farm revenue was from sales of tobacco, potatoes or other root crops; Fruits and Vegetables, where 50% or more of the gross farm revenue was from sales of fruits and vegetables; and Forest Products, where 50% or more of the gross farm revenue was from sales of forest products. Variations within the subdivisions were the basis for a further breakdown into 266 regions to each of which a number and name were assigned.

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Last Updated April 17, 2026, 21:33 (UTC)
Created April 17, 2026, 21:33 (UTC)
contact_email geoinfo@nrcan.gc.ca
contact_person {}
criticality_level []
data_dictionary ["farming"]
geographic_scope []
open_canada_collection geogratis
open_canada_date_published 1957-01-01 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords {"fr": ["agriculture", "bétail", "cultures", "céréale", "grain", "industrie agro-alimentaire", "produit agro-alimentaire", "statistiques de l'agriculture"], "en": ["agri-food industry", "agri-food products", "agriculture", "agriculture statistics", "cereals", "crops", "grains", "livestock"]}
open_canada_subject ["agriculture"]
sensitivity_level unrestricted
title_fr Régions agricoles
update_frequency as_needed