Farm market receipts were surging in late 2010 but it was not enough to offset earlier weakness in crop prices, Statistics Canada reports.
And nationally, program payments declined by almost $150 million last year, mainly because of lower provincial stabilization payouts.
The result is that farm cash receipts of $43.8 billion in 2010 were 1.7 percent lower than 2009 totals, said the federal agency.
Provincially, Alberta took the biggest hit with receipts down $550 million or six percent.
While program payments fell 4.5 percent to $3.1 billion, it was mainly because of a drop in Quebec stabilization payments. Higher prairie crop insurance payments helped offset some of the Quebec decline.
Crop receipts at $22 billion were the lowest since 2007, even though prices rebounded in the last quarter of the year.
Livestock receipts were higher in all provinces except British Columbia, mainly due to higher cattle and hog prices, said the federal agency.
The brightest spot in the annual report on farm receipts is that it indicated a rebound in the beleaguered hog industry.
Last year, market receipts from sales hit a five-year high with a 15.7 percent increase to $3.3 billion.
However, contraction of the industry was a restraining factor.
Hog marketings fell three percent to their lowest level since 2002.
Statistics Canada reported that because of a federal breeding swine cull program, low prices for many years and the impact on exports of the United States country-of-origin-labelling regulation, the number of hog farms fell 5.6 percent in 2010.
The numbers released by the federal agency this week reflect only gross income.
In late May, Statistics Canada will issue its preliminary report on net farm income last year after expenses and depreciation are taken into account.
The late May report also will indicate whether farm debt hit another record last year.
Since 1993, farm debt has increased from $23.5 billion to more than $60 billion in 2009.
