Results from the 2016 Census of Agriculture show that Manitoba had the largest proportion of farm operators under 35 years of age and the second youngest population of farm operators in Canada.

There were 14,791 census farms in Manitoba in 2016, down 6.8% from 2011 and larger than the 5.9% decline at the national level. The number of operations in Manitoba has been steadily declining since 1941.

There were 20,140 farm operators in Manitoba in 2016, down 9.8% from 2011. Women accounted for 23.8% of farm operators in Manitoba in 2016, up slightly from 23.6% in 2011 but below the national average of 28.7%.

With an average age of 53.8 years, Manitoba has the second youngest population of farm operators in Canada. Quebec ranked first with an average age of 52.9 years. Only Manitoba and Quebec have an average operator age below the national average of 55.0 years.

From 2011 to 2016, the proportion of farm operators in the oldest age category (55 years of age and older) increased to 52.1%. However, a higher proportion of young operators (under 35 years old) lessened the increase in the average farm operator age in Manitoba, which rose from 53.1 years in 2011 to 53.8 years in 2016.

Cropland rose 7.3% to 11.5 million acres in 2016 with Manitoba accounting for 12.3% of all cropland in Canada. From 2011 to 2016, there were shifts in cropland area away from hay to field crops. The return of land which had been fallow in 2011 due to flooding accounted for much of the increase in cropland in Manitoba between the censuses.

The total farm area over which farmers had stewardship in Manitoba decreased 2.1% from 2011 to 17.6 million acres in 2016. While the total farm area fell, the average farm size grew from 1,135 acres to 1,193 acres during the same period, indicating consolidation.

Soybean area more than doubled from 2011, the largest increase in soybean area in Canada. Manitoba now accounts for almost one-third of the total soybean area in Canada. Area seeded to dry field peas and corn for grain was also up sharply from 2011.

Canola remained the largest field crop area in Manitoba in 2016, but area was down slightly from 2011. Canola remained the leading field crop by area in Manitoba, followed by spring wheat and soybeans.

Manitoba reported the third largest number of pigs in Canada in 2016, with numbers up by almost one-fifth from 2011, the largest increase in Canada. Hog and pig farms reported the second highest sales by farm type in the province in 2016. The number of pigs in Manitoba rose 18.7% from 2011 to 3.4 million head in 2016, the largest absolute increase in pigs in Canada. The number of dairy cows in Manitoba decreased 6.6% from 2011 to 39,083 head in 2016, while the number of farms reporting dairy cows declined 17.4%. The number of beef cattle declined 7.9% from 2011 to 636,543 head in 2016, as some producers sold stock to take advantage of higher prices and retire or shift to other types of agricultural production. The number of farms reporting beef cattle declined 14.1%.

The sheep flock in Manitoba rose by over 40% from 2011, the largest increase in the country and counter to the decline at the national level.

Gross farm receipts rose to $6.8 billion in 2015, while operating expenses increased to $5.6 billion.

The value of the land and buildings per acre in Manitoba increased 64.5% (in 2016 constant dollars) from 2011 to $1,919 per acre in 2016. At the national level, this value was $2,696 per acre.

Primary agriculture represented 4.5% of provincial gross domestic product (agricultural GDP) in 2013.

Agricultural operations in Manitoba employed 18,737 people in 2015.