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Newfoundland and Labrador Farms: Agriculture History, How Farms Make Money and Strategy

Guide updated November 2026

Newfoundland and Labrador farms are small in number but important to a province that imports most of its food. The provincial Farm Guide counts over 500 farms, and farm cash receipts reached $165.7 million in 2025, with dairy, chicken and eggs making up about 85 per cent of the total. Vegetables, greenhouse production and berries fill out a sector that is expanding onto Crown land with provincial support.

Newfoundland and Labrador agriculture at a glance
FarmsOver 500 farms, per the provincial Farm Guide
Farm cash receipts, 2025$165.7 million: livestock $145.8 million, crops $18.2 million
Top commoditiesMilk, chicken, eggs, field vegetables (potato, rutabaga, carrots, cabbage, pumpkin), strawberries
Farm types, 2021 CensusVegetable and melon farms 23.5 per cent; greenhouse, nursery and floriculture 16.3 per cent (Statistics Canada)
Provincial departmentGovernment of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
Self-sufficiency100 per cent in fluid milk, chicken and eggs; fruit and vegetable self-sufficiency over 21 per cent in 2022

Agriculture in Newfoundland and Labrador: A Short History

Farming in Newfoundland grew up beside the fishery. Families kept gardens, sheep, a cow and hay land near the coast, and many ran mixed operations while fishing or logging. The profiled farms show the pattern: the Cormier family in the Codroy Valley started in 1852 with vegetables, livestock, fishing and logging, and Triple E Farms in Comfort Cove began in 1930 with a small patch of land at Burn Cove.

Modern agriculture took shape in the second half of the twentieth century. Milk quota, producer boards and local processing created dairy and egg businesses that now supply the island. Since 2017 the province has set a food self-sufficiency target focused on fruit and vegetables and has made more Crown land available for farming, which is the main reason new growers are entering the sector.

How Farms in Newfoundland and Labrador Make Money

Supply-managed products lead

Dairy, chicken and eggs account for about 85 per cent of farm cash receipts. Milk was valued at $54.1 million on 48.7 million litres in 2025, and eggs at $26.5 million. These sectors run on quota, which makes quota access, feed cost and herd or flock efficiency the main drivers of income. The province is 100 per cent self-sufficient in fluid milk, chicken and eggs.

Vegetables, berries and greenhouse crops

Vegetable production was valued at $6.3 million in 2025, led by potato, rutabaga, carrots, cabbage and pumpkin. Fruit receipts were $1.7 million, with strawberries the highest-valued fruit at $0.7 million, cranberries largest by volume and blueberries largest by area. Statistics Canada reports that vegetable and melon farms made up 23.5 per cent of farms in 2021, and greenhouse, nursery and floriculture farms 16.3 per cent, so most farms are small horticulture businesses.

Livestock, honey and diversification

Cattle numbered 10,400 in 2025 and sheep and lambs 2,800, with beef and sheep self-sufficiency more than doubling since 2016. The province lists 20 commercial beekeeping operations. Farm-gate sales, community markets and on-farm processing add value for small producers, though the profiled operations show that scale comes mainly from milk and specialized vegetables.

Agriculture Strategy for Newfoundland and Labrador Farms

Soils, climate and land

Newfoundland soils are often acidic and stony, summers are short and cool, and weather swings are large, so liming, drainage and variety choice are routine decisions. The province offers a limestone subsidy and a bulk limestone program, a soil, plant and feed lab, and extension services. Crown land is the growth path: the province has designated 62 agriculture areas of interest covering roughly 158,150 acres, Crown Lands receives about 80 agricultural applications a year, and commercial farmers can obtain 50-year leases at $4 per hectare per year. Crown land in fruit and vegetable production rose from 590 hectares in 2016 to 1,212 hectares by 2022.

Production and risk

Choose crops that suit a short season and store well, as Triple E Farms does by selling vegetables from August to April. Dairy and egg producers manage risk through quota and supply management; vegetable growers lean on storage, Canada GAP food safety certification and crop insurance through the Crop and Livestock Insurance Board, on which Gerard Cormier of West Valley Farm has served. Winter forage and feed are the largest input risk for livestock, since the province imports much of its grain and dairy forage.

Technology and inputs

Provincial programs supply seed potatoes (about 375,000 pounds a year) and more than four million vegetable transplants to commercial farmers, and a Farm Equipment Leasing Program maintains equipment banks at Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Bishop's Falls and Pynn's Brook. Greenhouses, tunnels and improved storage extend the season, and funding for infrastructure is available under the Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program.

Farm Business Strategy in Newfoundland and Labrador

Margins and markets

Farmers compete against imports in a province that remains about 10 per cent self-sufficient in agrifoods outside supply management, so local freshness, reliability and food safety credentials are the selling points. Retail, wholesale and institutional buyers prefer growers with Canada GAP certification. Sell stored crops into winter, when import competition is strongest, and use secondary processing to turn surplus into higher-margin products.

Land, credit and succession

The Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program had about $3.3 million in Budget 2026 and supports land development, agriculture infrastructure and a 50 per cent reimbursement of synthetic fertilizer costs. Applicants generally need at least $15,000 in eligible agriculture sales in one of the last three years, or qualify as a new entrant with up to $20,000 under the infrastructure stream. Program details and deadlines change, so confirm each year with the department. Farm Credit Canada and chartered lenders finance land and equipment, and a succession plan is essential: the profiled farms moved through three to five generations by bringing sons, brothers and grandchildren in as partners.

Marketing and diversification

Brands such as Triple E Farms' 'Pride of the Burn' logo help local produce stand out. Supply-managed producers can add forage, heifer raising or processing partnerships, as the Cormier family did, while horticulture growers can add storage, greenhouse space and direct sales. Community gardens, farm markets and school or institutional supply are all part of the provincial food-security strategy.

Farm Insight: Newfoundland and Labrador Trends to Watch

The sector is growing from a small base. Fruit and vegetable self-sufficiency more than doubled to over 21 per cent in 2022, beating the province's 10 to 20 per cent goal, and the Canadian Agricultural Partnership invested over $28.7 million in 633 projects since 2018, including 50 new first-year farmers. Land access, not demand, is the constraint to watch.

Production can move quickly when land, seed, transplants and storage line up. Expect continued interest in Crown land, in processing capacity and in dairy forage grown locally to cut import dependence. Check current Statistics Canada, provincial department and Farm Credit Canada reports before you commit capital.

Farming in Newfoundland and Labrador means planning around fog, wind and a growing season that can feel like a rumour, which makes every harvested turnip a small victory. For farm satire with the same stubborn optimism, visit farm.FM, where the farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes salute people who coax a crop out of the rock. We hear the cows in the Codroy Valley have opinions about the weather too.

Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.

Elite Farms and Ranches in Newfoundland and Labrador

These 2 operations are profiled in full, with history, how each makes money, lessons for other farms and published contact details.

Elite operations in Newfoundland and Labrador

Who to Contact in Newfoundland and Labrador: Agriculture Offices and Associations

Newfoundland and Labrador Farming FAQ

How many farms are in Newfoundland and Labrador?

The provincial Farm Guide counts over 500 farms. Statistics Canada reports that in 2021 vegetable and melon farms were 23.5 per cent of farms and greenhouse, nursery and floriculture farms 16.3 per cent.

What are the main farm products?

Dairy, chicken and eggs account for about 85 per cent of farm cash receipts. Field vegetables, strawberries, blueberries and cranberries are the main crops.

Can new farmers get land?

Yes. The province has designated 62 agriculture areas of interest on Crown land covering roughly 158,150 acres, and commercial farmers can obtain long-term leases. Contact the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture for current terms.

Which elite farms are profiled?

This guide profiles West Valley Farm (Cormier's Dairy) in the Codroy Valley and Triple E Farms in Comfort Cove. Further operations will be added only after their elite status is independently verified.

Newfoundland and Labrador farms combine supply-managed dairy and eggs with a growing horticulture sector and new Crown land access. Explore the profiled operations below to see how two long-established families built large businesses in a demanding climate.

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