MANITOBA DAIRY SECTOR PROFILE

Production:

Manitoba has Canada's fifth largest dairy cow herd with 4.4 percent of the nation's dairy cows and 0.5 percent of total North American dairy cows in 1995. Dairy cow numbers in Manitoba declined fairly steadily over the past twenty years from 91,000 head in January, 1976 to 54,000 head in January, 1994, an average decrease of over two percent a year. However, cow numbers rose by 2,000 head between January 1, 1994 and January 1, 1996, while replacement heifers increased by 1,000 head. In 1995, Manitoba's 937 commercial operators sold 280.8 million litres of milk and cream, slightly less than in 1994. The productivity of Manitoba dairy cows has increased significantly since 1976, when 3.1 kl of milk and cream were sold per cow per year compared to 5.0 kl per cow in 1994 and 1995. Farm cash receipts from milk and cream sold in 1995 amounted to $136.6 million, 5.6 percent of the total farm cash receipts for the province. About 42.8 percent of dairy cash receipts came from sales of milk and cream for fluid use, 51.0 percent were from sales for industrial milk use, 0.4 percent from industrial cream sales and the remaining 5.8 percent were supplementary payments to dairy producers.

Dairy Processing:

Manitoba's dairy processing industry comprised three fluid milk plants and ten industrial plants with about 640 employees in 1995 as well as three repack plants for cheese and milk powder. Dairy products produced in the province included fluid milk (109.5 Ml), cream (2.7 Ml), ice-cream (18.6 Ml), Cheddar cheese (7.0 kt), butter (4.4 kt), variety cheeses (3.9 kt), cottage cheese (0.7 kt) and yogurt (2.2 kt). Milk, ice-cream and variety cheese production in 1995 rose by three, one percent and 11 percent respectively from 1994 levels, while Cheddar cheese and butter production remained unchanged.

Trade:

Small quantities of milk and cream products, cheese, buttermilk and whey were imported from countries such as Denmark, the United States, Germany, Norway and Switzerland in 1995, while Manitoba exported skim milk powder and butter to Mexico and Saudi Arabia. Dairy products are used in further processed products which are exported to other provinces or countries. About 17 percent of the butter produced is exported in products such as cookies.

Article written by:

Janet Honey, Chief of Market Analysis and Statistics, Program & Policy Analysis Branch, Manitoba Agriculture, 810 - 401 York, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3C 0P8