Livestock receipts fell $900 million to $17.9 billion, while crop receipts remained virtually unchanged from 2008 levels and amounted to $23.0 billion.
The 4.8% drop in livestock receipts was due largely to a sharp decline in the number of animals exported as the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law came into effect in the United States. Another factor was lower demand for livestock products resulting from the global recession. The number of cattle and hogs shipped across the border each fell by over 30% in 2009.
While slaughter cattle prices were relatively stable, slaughter hog prices resumed their decline after increasing slightly in 2008. In 2009, slaughter hog prices fell 4.7%. Since 2004, they have dropped 28.8%.
In total, farm cash receipts, including both market receipts and program payments, fell by $1.7 billion (-3.7%) to $44.2 billion in 2009.
A 20.1% decline in program payments accounted for almost half the decrease in total receipts. The decline largely reflected lower payments from the AgriStability program due to the strength of the grain and oilseeds sector, and the winding down of several programs.
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/21-010-x/21-010-x2010001-eng.pdf