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British Columbia Farms and Ranches: Agriculture History, How Farms Make Money and Strategy

Guide updated November 2026

British Columbia farms range from interior cattle ranches to Fraser Valley dairies and Okanagan orchards. The 2021 Census of Agriculture counted 15,841 farms on 5,648,160 acres, with an average farm size of 357 acres, and the province's farmland sits largely inside a 4.6 million hectare Agricultural Land Reserve.

British Columbia agriculture at a glance
Farms and land in farms15,841 farms on 5,648,160 acres, average 357 acres (2021 Census of Agriculture)
Top commoditiesCattle; dairy; poultry; berries; tree fruit; greenhouse and nursery
Farm cash receiptsAbout $4.08 billion CAD (BC Ag in Brief 2021)
Provincial agriculture departmentBC Ministry of Agriculture and Food
Federal partnerAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)
Operators23,680 operators; average age 57.8 years (2021)

Agriculture in British Columbia: A Short History

Ranching came first in the interior. The Douglas Lake Cattle Company was formed in 1886 near what is now Merritt and Kamloops and grew to more than 110,000 deeded acres by 1910, according to its own history page. Fruit followed in the Okanagan, and the Fraser Valley delta lands became the centre for dairy, poultry and berries.

Land protection shaped the modern industry. The Agricultural Land Reserve, administered by the Agricultural Land Commission, protects approximately 4.6 million hectares of agriculturally suitable land across the province, and the provincial government describes it as a designation in which agriculture is the priority use.

How Farms in British Columbia Make Money

Livestock and dairy

The 2021 census summary counted 4,790 farms with 617,336 cattle and calves, including 194,831 beef cows, and 614 dairy farms with 80,594 dairy cows. Poultry matters as well, including 376 turkey farms reporting 733,784 birds.

Berries, tree fruit and greenhouse

Statistics Canada reported that British Columbia held 22.2 percent of Canadian farms in greenhouse, nursery and floriculture categories and 47.2 percent of Canada's mushroom growing area in 2021. Windset Farms in Delta reports 130 acres at its home site, and Jealous Fruits reports about 900 producing acres of cherries. The BC Blueberry Council says it represents over 600 growers.

Value-added and direct sales

Operations such as Hopcott Farms sell beef through their own store, and Rossdown Farms sells branded poultry to grocers and meal kit companies. These models capture margin beyond raw commodity sales.

Agriculture Strategy for British Columbia Farms

Soils, water and climate

The province has very different regions. Interior ranches such as Douglas Lake graze Crown land in summer and use deeded grassland and irrigated hay in the cooler seasons, and the ranch reports growing over 45,000 metric tonnes of feed a year. The ministry's drought guide lists BC AgriWeather, which draws on over 250 weather stations, plus irrigation scheduling and water use calculators and a provincial drought information portal.

Production and risk

Production Insurance covers weather losses, and AgriStability supports income in large declines. In July 2025 Canada and British Columbia raised AgriStability compensation from 80 to 90 percent of eligible income decline and doubled the cap from $3 million to $6 million, with about 2,500 B.C. farmers enrolled. Environmental Farm Plans open access to beneficial management practices funding for irrigation, storage and extreme weather preparedness through the Investment Agriculture Foundation.

Technology and inputs

Greenhouse growers use lighting, heat recovery and water recirculation, as Windset's reported 98 percent water reuse and biomass boilers show. Dairies such as Bradner Farms use robotic milking, and Rossdown Farms added automation including a deboning machine in 2018.

Farm Business Strategy in British Columbia

Margins and markets

Export-oriented growers diversify across countries. Jealous Fruits ships cherries to the United States, China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asian markets and picks late varieties to reach less crowded market windows. Growers of any crop can track trade agreements and market windows.

Land, credit and succession

Succession is the biggest planning gap. In the 2021 census, 72 percent of farms reported no succession plan, 18 percent a verbal plan and 10 percent a written plan, while the average operator age was 57.8. Farm Credit Canada and commercial lenders finance land and equipment, and the Agricultural Land Reserve limits non-farm uses of land, which keeps farm land prices tied to farming use only in part. Families should draw up written plans early, as multi-generation operations such as Bradner Farms, which received a Century Farm Award, have done.

Marketing and diversification

Hopcott Farms combines contract cranberries, beef, an abattoir and a farm store. Bradner Farms combines dairy, poultry, daffodils and organic feed. Both show how adding enterprises across generations spreads risk.

Farm Insight: British Columbia Trends to Watch

Watch the numbers. Between 2016 and 2021 British Columbia lost 1,687 farms, a fall of almost 10 percent, and about 752,000 acres of farm area. Fewer, larger and more specialized operations are the trend, and the operators profiled here show how scale, branding and integration support that change.

Expect more climate and water pressure. Drought, wildfire and extreme heat now feature in provincial support programs, so any operation should plan for water storage, insurance and records.

British Columbia may be the only place where a farmer can start the morning grazing cattle on grass, lunch on a cherry and finish the evening worrying about atmospheric rivers. Anyone who wants farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes about all of that should visit farm.FM. The province's growers, from interior cowboys to Delta glasshouse crews, deserve the laughs and the respect.

farm.FM got there first as the nation's first satirical farm site, and it backs the writing with Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Here is one contributor's collection of farm satire to start with.

Elite Farms and Ranches in British Columbia

These 14 operations are profiled in full, with history, how each makes money, lessons for other farms and published contact details.

Elite operations in British Columbia

Notable working farms and ranches in British Columbia

Established, successful commercial operations that are not national headline names but show how good farms in British Columbia actually earn a living.

Who to Contact in British Columbia: Agriculture Offices and Associations

British Columbia Farming FAQ

How many farms are in British Columbia?

The 2021 Census of Agriculture counted 15,841 farms.

What is the Agricultural Land Reserve?

A provincial designation protecting approximately 4.6 million hectares of agriculturally suitable land, according to the provincial government.

What risk programs help BC farmers?

Production Insurance and AgriStability, which was improved in July 2025 to 90 percent compensation and a $6 million cap.

Which operations are profiled?

Douglas Lake Ranch, Windset Farms, Jealous Fruits, Hopcott Farms, Bradner Farms and Rossdown Farms.

British Columbia farms are defined by variety, land protection and a wave of succession decisions ahead. Use the profiled operations below to see how ranchers, greenhouse growers, orchardists, berry farmers and poultry families are meeting those challenges.

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