Statistical Profile of Lunenburg County

Statistical Profile of Lunenburg 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 Lunenburg 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 Lunenburg County is home to a variety of farm production activities from greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production to vegetable and melon farming. This agricultural diversity and innovation is important to economic development in Lunenburg County. In 2010, Lunenburg County farms reported a total of approximately $25.3 million in farm receipts which accounted for 4.25% of all receipts reported in Nova Scotia. In the same year, farms in Lunenburg County reported a total business operating expense of approximately $23.4 million. Thus, agriculture in Lunenburg produced a surplus of $1.9 million. In regard to employment, health care, trade, manufacturing, and natural resources are the dominant industries in the Southern region. Although employment in agriculture in Lunenburg 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 Lunenburg County include farmers markets, U-picks, wineries, and the annual exhibition. Despite an increase in farms since 2006, Lunenburg County experienced a decrease in the number of acres used for farming purposes. Indeed, Lunenburg County ranks eighth among all counties in regard to its use of arable land ( Lunenburg County, para. 3). With 10% of arable land being used for agricultural production, Lunenburg falls below the provincial average of 13% ( Lunenburg County, para. 3). It is clear that agriculture remains a vital industry to the economy in Lunenburg 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, Lunenburg County experienced a total population growth of 0.3% or a total of 163 people. Table 1 demonstrates that, for the most part, Lunenburg experienced an increase in population across all census subdivisions. The only areas to experience a decrease were the municipalities of Chester, Lunenburg and the town of Lunenburg with a population decline of 1.3%, 0.2% and 0.2% respectively. Lunenburg County s rate of population change (0.3%) fell below that of Nova Scotia s (0.9%). Table 1: Population of Lunenburg and Census Subdivisions, 2006-2011 Area 2011 2006 % Change Lunenburg County 47,313 47,150 0.3 Chester (Municipality) 10,599 10,741-1.3 Lunenburg (Municipality) 25,118 25,164-0.2 Bridgewater (Town) 8,241 7,944 3.7 Lunenburg (Town) 2,313 2,317-0.2 Mahone Bay (Town) 943 904 4.3 Gold River (Reserve) 77 65 18.5 Pennal (Reserve) 22 15 46.7 The population of Lunenburg County is predominately concentrated in rural regions. Since 2006, rural regions experienced a population decline of approximately 0.5% while the population centres experienced a population increase of approximately 3%. Table 2: Lunenburg County, Rural 1 and Population Centres 2, 2006-2011 2011 2006 Population % of Total Population % of Total Rural 35,816 75.7 35,985 76.3 Population Centre 11,497 24.3 11,165 23.7 Total 47,313 100 47,150 100 1 In this case, rural refers to municipalities and reserves. 2 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 Southern region (including Digby, Yarmouth, Queens, Shelburne, and Lunenburg) 3 represented approximately 15% of the agricultural industry in Nova Scotia. Although, an estimate for Lunenburg County is not specifically given, the data indicates that its geographic region is an important component to the agricultural industry in Nova Scotia. In comparison to the other industries in the Southern region, agriculture accounted for approximately 1.63% of all jobs in the region, which is higher than the provincial average of 1.17%. The industries with the highest employment in the Southern region were trade, health care and social assistance, manufacturing and natural resources (i.e. forestry, fishing, etc.). Table 3: Southern Region, Total Employment by Industry, 2013 Industry Nova Scotia % of Nova Scotia's Total Employment Southern % of Southern Region's Total Employment Total employed, all industries 453,800 100 49,100 100 Agriculture 5,300 1.17 800 1.63 Forestry, fishing, mining, etc. 11,200 2.47 4,200 8.55 Utilities 4,600 1.01 N/A N/A Construction 33,500 7.38 4,100 8.35 Manufacturing 30,600 6.74 5,900 12.02 Trade 73,000 16.09 8,000 16.29 Transportation and warehousing 19,600 4.32 1,400 2.85 Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing 22,100 4.87 1,000 2.04 Professional, scientific and technical services 27,800 6.13 1,500 3.05 Business, building and other support services 23,500 5.18 2,300 4.68 Educational services 36,700 8.09 3,900 7.94 Health care and social assistance 69,400 15.29 6,700 13.65 Information, culture and recreation 19,300 4.25 1,700 3.46 Accommodation and food services 29,000 6.39 3,300 6.72 Other services 18,600 4.1 2,300 4.68 Public administration 29,400 6.48 1,700 3.46 Note: Adapted from Statistics Canada, 2013. 3 The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) divides Nova Scotia into 5 geographical regions. The Southern region includes Digby, Yarmouth, Queens, Shelburne, and Lunenburg 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.

% of Total Employed 5 Figure 1 displays a clear comparison of the percentages of total employed by each industry in Nova Scotia and the Southern region. 20 15 10 5 0 Nova Scotia Southern Region Industry Figure 1: % of Total Employed by Industry: Southern Region vs. Nova Scotia, 2013. Note: Adapted from Statistics Canada, 2013. 4.0 Agricultural Profile of Lunenburg County 4.1 Number of Farms From 2006 to 2011, the total number of farms in Lunenburg County had increased by 16 farms. Table 4 indicates that the predominant farm types in Lunenburg County were greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production (49.4%), other crops (16.7%), and other animal production (9.6%). Indeed, greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production had remains a dominant farm activity in Lunenburg and had increased since 2006 from 154 to 169 farms (9.74%). On the other hand, cattle ranching and oilseed and grain farming had decreased since 2006. All other types of farm production have either increased or remained the same.

% of Total Farms 6 Table 4: Lunenburg County, Total Number of Farms by Farm Type, 2006-2011 Farm Type 2011 2006 # of Farms % of Total # of Farms % of Total % Change Cattle ranching and farming 30 8.8 57 17.5-47.37 Hog and pig farming 2 0.6 2 0.6 0 Poultry and egg production 16 4.7 14 4.3 14.29 Sheep and goat farming 4 1.2 2 0.6 100 Other animal production 33 9.6 31 9.5 6.45 Oilseed and grain farming 0 0 1 0.3-100 Vegetable and melon farming 8 2.3 5 1.5 60 Fruit and tree nut farming 23 6.7 19 5.8 21.05 Greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production 169 49.4 154 47.3 9.74 Other crop farming 57 16.7 41 12.6 39.02 Total farms 342 100 326 100 4.91 Note: Retrieved from Statistics Canada, 2011. In comparison to Nova Scotia, Lunenburg County had a higher percentage in hog and pig; poultry and egg; and greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production. It is evident that the percentage of greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production (49.4%) in Lunenburg County was significantly higher than that of the provincial percentage of 14.1%. However, the percentage of fruit and tree nut farming in Lunenburg County fell below that of the provincial average by 18.1%. 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Lunenburg Nova Scotia Farm Type Figure 2: % of Total Farms by Farm Type: Lunenburg County vs. Nova Scotia, 2011

7 Table 5 demonstrates that the municipality of Lunenburg had the highest percentage of farms in the county (70.18%) while Chester had the lowest percentage of farms (29.82%). Table 5: Total Number of Farms by Farm Type by Census Subdivision, 2011 4 Farm Type Lunenburg County Lunenburg Chester Cattle ranching and farming 30 26 4 Hog and pig farming 2 2 0 Poultry and egg production 16 13 3 Sheep and goat farming 4 4 0 Other animal production 33 25 8 Oilseed and grain farming 0 0 0 Vegetable and melon farming 8 8 0 Fruit and tree nut farming 23 18 5 Greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production 169 95 74 Other crop farming 57 49 8 Total farms 342 240 102 Note: Retrieved from Statistics Canada, 2011. 4.2 Farm Revenue Farms in Lunenburg County reported approximately $25.3 million in farm receipts in 2010 which had increased from approximately $25 million in 2006. Despite Lunenburg County s increase in revenue between 2006 and 2010, its percentage of Nova Scotia s total farm receipts declined. In 2006, Lunenburg County s revenue formed 4.91% of Nova Scotia s total revenue. Meanwhile in 2010, Lunenburg County s revenue constituted 4.25% of Nova Scotia s total revenue. Table 6: Total Farm Receipts for Lunenburg County and Nova Scotia, 2006-2010 2010 2006 % Change Nova Scotia $ 594,903,481.00 $ 509,520,691.00 16.76 Lunenburg County $ 25,276,075.00 $ 25,002,702.00 1.09 % of Nova Scotia's receipts 4.25 4.91 4 According to Statistics Canada, a census subdivision is an area that is a municipality or an area that is deemed to be equivalent to a municipality for statistical reporting purposes.

8 According to census subdivisions, the municipality of Lunenburg reported approximately 90% of Lunenburg County s total farm receipts. This subdivision also had the highest receipts per farm with an approximate average of $94,000. Meanwhile, Chester had receipts per farm lower than the County s average of approximately $74,000. There were no subdivisions that reported average receipts per farm higher than the provincial average receipts per farm of $152,344. Table 7: Total Farm Receipts by Census Subdivision for Lunenburg County, 2010 Total Farms Total Farm Receipts % of County Total Receipts per Farm Lunenburg County 342 $ 25,276,075.00 100 $ 73,906.65 Lunenburg 240 $ 22,511,215.00 89.06 $ 93,796.73 Chester 102 $ 2,764,860.00 10.94 $ 27,106.47 In 2010, 82.16% of farms in Lunenburg County reported receipts of an amount less than $50,000. Farm receipts under $10,000 appeared to be the most popular category with 163 farms reporting receipts of this amount. These reports constituted 47.66% of the total farm receipts for Lunenburg County. Table 8: Total Number of Farms in Lunenburg County by Farm Receipts, 2006-2010 Farm Receipts Category 2010 2006 # of Farms % of Total # of Farms % of Total Under $10,000 163 47.66 141 43.25 $10,000 to $24,999 81 23.68 86 26.38 $25,000 to $49,999 37 10.82 32 9.82 $50,000 to $99,999 24 7.02 26 7.97 $100,000 to $249,999 16 4.68 19 5.83 $250,000 to $499,999 8 2.34 10 3.07 $500,000 to $999,999 9 2.63 8 2.45 $1,000,000 to $1,999,999 3 0.88 3 0.92 $2,000,000 and over 1 0.29 1 0.31 Total Farms 342 100 326 100 Figure 3 demonstrates that the percentage of farm receipts for Lunenburg and Nova Scotia were similarly distributed across all categories.

% of Total Farm Receipts 9 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Nova Scotia Lunenburg Farm Receipts Category Figure 3: % of Total Farms by Farm Receipts Category: Lunenburg County vs. Nova Scotia, 2010 Table 9 displays the reports for each farm receipts category according to each census subdivision. In each subdivision, more farms reported receipts under $10,000. Table 9: Total Number of Farm by Total Farm Receipts Category by Census Subdivision, 2010 Farm Receipts Category Nova Scotia Lunenburg County Lunenburg Chester Under $10,000 1,643 163 105 58 $10,000 to $24,999 799 81 59 22 $25,000 to $49,999 418 37 27 10 $50,000 to $99,999 273 24 18 6 $100,000 to $249,999 277 16 13 3 $250,000 to $499,999 199 8 6 2 $500,000 to $999,999 154 9 8 1 $1,000,000 to $1,999,999 92 3 3 0 $2,000,000 and over 50 1 1 0 Total Farms 3,905 342 240 102 Note: Retrieved from Statistics Canada, 2011.

10 4.3 Farm Expenses In 2010, the total farm business operating expense for Lunenburg County was $23,401,685. In Lunenburg, the average business operating expense per farm was approximately $68,000 which was lower than the provincial average of approximately $128,000. It is evident that the greatest expenses for farms were other expenses excluding depreciation and capital cost allowance ($5,802,870), total wages and salaries ($5,764,312), and total feed, supplements and hay purchases ($4,014,640). Interest expenses in Lunenburg County were about 2.2% of total farm expenses while the provincial average was 5.2%.

11 Table 10: Farm Business Operating Expenses for Lunenburg County and Nova Scotia, 2010 Nova Scotia Lunenburg County Farms Reporting Amount ($) Farms Reporting Amount ($) Fertilizer and lime purchases 1,957 $ 13,201,434.00 207 $ 363,775.00 Purchases of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. 1,459 $ 11,734,327.00 89 $ 147,474.00 Seed and plant purchases (excluding materials purchased for resale) 1,286 $ 10,952,683.00 97 $ 306,730.00 Total feed, supplements and hay purchases 1,825 $ 108,870,856.00 123 $ 4,014,640.00 Livestock and poultry purchases 1,067 $ 30,507,684.00 74 $ 1,504,054.00 Veterinary services, drugs, semen, breeding fees, etc. 1,517 $ 8,710,636.00 103 $ 165,281.00 Custom work, contract work and hired trucking 1,665 $ 28,483,557.00 103 $ 912,855.00 Total wages and salaries 1,521 $ 101,190,562.00 141 $ 5,764,312.00 All fuel expenses (diesel, gas, etc.) 3,644 $ 26,035,222.00 329 $ 1,267,472.00 Repairs and maintenance to farm machinery, equipment and vehicles 3,344 $ 22,441,124.00 287 $ 984,219.00 Repairs and maintenance to farm buildings and fences 2,301 $ 10,367,519.00 182 $ 721,995.00 Rental and leasing of land and buildings 581 $ 4,145,716.00 31 $ 145,502.00 Rental and leasing of farm machinery, equipment and vehicles 515 $ 5,818,991.00 31 $ 170,155.00 Electricity, telephone and all other telecommunication services 2,898 $ 11,790,016.00 261 $ 625,945.00 Farm interest expenses 1,579 $ 26,107,223.00 86 $ 504,406.00 All other expenses (excluding depreciation and capital cost allowance) 3,352 $ 80,190,026.00 290 $ 5,802,870.00 Total farm business operating expenses 3,905 $ 500,547,576.00 342 $ 23,401,685.00 Note: Retrieved from Statistics Canada, 2011. In 2006, Lunenburg County farms reported a total of $23,488,146 in farm business expenses with an average expense per farm of approximately $72,000. On the other hand, in 2010, farms reported an amount of $23,401,685 with an average expense per farm of approximately $68,000.

12 Therefore, farms in Lunenburg County decreased their average operating expense by approximately $3,600 in four years. Table 11: Total Farm Business Operating Expenses Lunenburg County, 2006-2010 Total Farm Business Operating Expenses Farms Reporting Amount ($) Average Operating Expense per Farm 2010 342 $ 23,401,685.00 $ 68,425.98 2006 326 $ 23,488,146.00 $ 72,049.53 4.4 Land Use In 2011, area in Christmas trees, woodlands and wetlands accounted for most of the land use in Lunenburg County (72.64%). Furthermore, land in crops made up 12.95% of the land use in Lunenburg County. Summer fallow, tame of seeded pasture, natural land for pasture, and other land composed the remaining farmland (14.42%). In comparison to provincial land use, Lunenburg County had a higher percentage in terms of Christmas trees, woodlands, and wetlands. Table 12: Land Use for Lunenburg County and Nova Scotia, 2011 Land Use Lunenburg County Nova Scotia # of Acres % of Total # of Acres % of Total Land in Crops (excluding Christmas tree area) 9,649 12.95 280,889 27.59 Summer Fallow N/A 1,145 0.11 Tame of Seeded Pasture 1,820 2.44 52,271 5.13 Natural Land for Pasture 2,702 3.63 62,142 6.11 Area in Christmas trees, Woodlands and Wetlands 54,126 72.64 559,664 54.97 All Other Land N/A 61,964 6.09 Total 74,514 91.66 1,018,075 100 The number of acres used for farming purposes had decreased since 2006 from 74,715 acres to 74,514 acres. Since 2006, there had been an increase in the percentage of total land used for Christmas trees, woodlands and wetlands and for land in crops. However, there had been a decrease in the percentage of total land used for all other types of land.

13 Table 13: Land Use in Lunenburg County, 2006-2011 Land Use 2011 2006 # of Acres % of Total # of Acres % of Total Land in Crops (excluding Christmas tree area) 9,649 12.95 9,304 12.45 Summer Fallow N/A 32 0.04 Tame of Seeded Pasture 1,820 2.44 2,778 3.72 Natural Land for Pasture 2,702 3.63 4,082 5.46 Area in Christmas trees, Woodlands and Wetlands 54,126 72.64 52,306 70.01 All Other Land N/A 6,213 8.32 Total 74,514 91.66 74,715 100 4.5 Farm Size In 2011, the average farm size in Lunenburg County was approximately 218 acres which was higher than the provincial average of approximately 260 acres. Both Chester and Lunenburg municipalities had approximately the same average farm size as the County. Table 14: Total Acres and Average Farm Size in Lunenburg County and Nova Scotia, 2011 Total Farms Total Acres Average Farm Size (acres) Nova Scotia 3,905 1,018,075 260.71 Lunenburg County 342 74,514 217.88 Chester 102 22,230 217.94 Lunenburg 240 52,284 217.85 In Lunenburg County, approximately 53% of reporting farms owned less than 129 acres. Indeed, the most common acreage size in Lunenburg was between 10 to 69 acres (83 farms reported). In total, the farms with these acreage sizes accounted for almost 24% of Lunenburg County farms.

14 Table 15: Total Farms by Farm Size Category for Lunenburg County and Nova Scotia Total Farms Under 10 acres 10-69 acres 70-129 acres 130-179 acres 180-239 acres 240-399 acres 400-559 acres 560-759 acres 760 acres and over Nova Scotia 3,905 406 907 637 317 343 574 302 192 227 Lunenburg County 342 27 83 71 24 34 56 19 14 14 Chester 102 12 26 17 7 11 14 6 3 6 Lunenburg 240 15 57 54 17 23 42 13 11 8 Note: Retrieved from Statistics Canada, 2011.

15 Bibliography (2013). Lunenburg County: Profile of Agricultural Land Resources. Retrieved from http://novascotia.ca/agri/documents/business-research/al1009%20lunenburg.pdf Ancestry.com. (2004). Lunenburg County. [Image]. Retrieved from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kvgene/maps/lunen.jpg Statistics Canada. (2011). Farm and farm operator data [Table]. Retrieved from http://www29.statcan.gc.ca/ceag-web/eng/indexindex;jsessionid=d68babe4379bc41d58b112c4b2faffb8 Statistics Canada. (2013). Labour force survey estimates [Table 282-0061]. Retrieved from http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a47 Statistics Canada. (2011). Population and dwelling counts [Table]. Retrieved from http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/table- Tableau.cfm?LANG=Eng&T=304&PR=12&S=51&O=A&RPP=10

16 Appendix Map of Lunenburg County Note: Retrieved from Ancestry.com, 2004.