A farmer harvests his wheat crop on the Canadian prairies near Taber.
A farmer harvests his wheat crop on the Canadian prairies near Taber, Alberta, September 7, 2011. Canada's overall stockpile of wheat as of July 31 dropped by 8.2 percent from a year ago, a smaller decrease than traders had predicted, Statistics Canada data indicated. Reuters

Canadian farmers earned nearly 11 percent more during the first nine months of 2011 than they did in the year-before period, Statistics Canada reported on Thursday.

Farm cash receipts, which include market receipts from the sale of crops and livestock plus government program payments, climbed 10.9 percent to C$35.8 billion ($34.1 billion) between January and September.

Breaking down that total, crop receipts rose 15 percent to C$18.3 billion due to higher grain and oilseed prices, while livestock receipts climbed 6.3 percent to C$15 billion.

The biggest percentage gains in crop receipts were for corn (up 65 percent) amid tight U.S. supplies, wheat including durum (up 34 percent), and canola (up 30 percent).

Lentil prices plunged however, causing cash receipts for that legume crop to fall by nearly a quarter.

Manitoba, where farmers faced both flooding and drought in the first nine months of year, and British Columbia were the only provinces to record a drop in crop receipts.

In the supply-managed dairy, poultry and eggs sector, farm cash receipts rose 7.5 percent.

Canada