Pork prices were down in 1950, but beef reached an all-time high. Horticultural crops were generally down in volume during the year, as were vegetables because of poor weather conditions.

The potato production figures show 1950 to be a poor year because of the weather, but still turning out 20.1 million bushels. Seed production was increasing as new varieties made their appearances on the scene, and disease control with better sprays of pesticides, was much in evidence.

Another important branch of the department that developed following the war was the Agricultural Engineering Branch to help farmers design better structures, to seek the best in equipment, and to show how to repair it, to lay out and supervise drainage work and generally to help in farm improvements.

Although farm numbers were declining, the move toward larger units was taking up the slack that would have been shown in production. The mechanized farmer could do more work in a day that four or five with horses.

1950 was a turning point. There were new developments coming. The next 30 years would see changes that began during these days of an emergence of a different kind of society in New Brunswick.

The thirty year period beginning in 1950 would see these peaks and valleys of agriculture development in sharper focus than at any time since the Great Depression. Emerging from this turmoil by 1980 would be stronger farm organizations, fewer farmers but higher production on the land and a return to crops let fell by the wayside years before.

These decades are marked with increased government involvement with the farmers and the continuing "boom or bust" cycle of prices for which agricultural products are notorious. These are exciting years in some respects, but in other ways, worrisome for the farmers.

The stage for change was partially set by the massive technological advancements following the Second World War and an increased governmental involvement with the farmers.

Agriculture had become marginal in parts of the province, particularly in Gloucester and Kent counties and on the Miramichi. The big production now came from the Upper St. John Valley and Kings County.

Two patterns were emerging. Farms were getting larger but there were fewer farmers and agriculturally employed people than earlier. This trend was worrying to provincial authorities and farm organizations that always advocated the concept of the "family farm" as the mainstay of agriculture. The changes being made still left the farms with the individual family but often the sons moved on to other areas of employment and farm population was left growing older with no replacements in sight.

The 1950's watched the out-migration of the youth of New Brunswick continue. Many a young man or woman left for the riches promised in the fast growing industrial areas in Ontario. The automotive industry, the steel mills, the manufacturing plants of Toronto, Hamilton and Windsor, not to mention the mining town of Sudbury drew the youth away. As one writer of the period put it, the largest export of the Maritimes "was the brains of its youth who are departing."

The New Brunswick Federation of Agriculture came into being in 1952. This was envisioned as an umbrella organization for all farmers and farm associations. The need for such an organization as the Federation was stressed by key personnel in the cooperative movement and enlightened farm leaders. But the founding was not without its problems.

Another important organizational step for farmers in New Brunswick was the formation of new marketing boards to cover a wide variety of production.

The traditional products such as milk, eggs and apples were joined by green-house and bedding plants, turkeys, chickens and hogs in more organized marketing structures. With active promotion to consumers, a broader base of agriculture was possible in this province.

The 1960's held some surprises in store for New Brunswick! A new era would emerge in the social, education and economic fields that would change the province drastically.

Observers of the period invariably referred to the "North Shore" . . . Gloucester and Restigouche Counties . . . as depressed areas and usually Kent County was lumped in there as well. Farming had declined to a very basic subsistence level in these areas with the few productive farms the exception rather than the rule. The breadbaskets of New Brunswick in 1900 were now less than holding their own. The tax revenues split between the province and the county councils caused great inequities in education and social programs which at the time were designated as 'welfare'.

Based on the "Byrne Report" on taxation in the province, the planners under Premier Louis Robichaud between 1960 and 1965 put together a package of programs known as "Equal Opportunity" to change the political reality in New Brunswick. County councils . . . those 15 mini-governments . . . were abolished along with the county school finance boards.

For the farmers, the change meant a good deal. For the first time taxation applied universally across the province and for the first time, government programs could be used by everyone. New Brunswick had come of age in a real sense and it represented the first major revamping of the political structure in over a hundred years.

The Department of Agriculture had made progress during the 1960's toward establishing the Bon Accord Elite Seed Farm in the hills of Victoria County. This facility would produce the disease-free stocks of seed that were sold at production cost to growers to replicate for sale to other farmers or off-shore markets.

Another important purchase was a small nursery at Hoyt to become a center for the production of disease-free strawberry plants for the industry in the province. This nursery would eventually produce cloned blueberry plants, test shrubs and flowers for the nursery trade and experiment with vegetable production and fiddleheads.

Farming, as such, had not held its own with other facets of the Canadian economy from 1951 to 1967. Farm prices had risen only 6 percent during the period while the costs of farm operation had gone up over 25 percent. More efficient, mechanized farms were producing more agricultural production than all the small farms together but the income was dropping and future progress looked bleak in view of the lack of capital for new land, machinery or buildings.

In early 1982, the Department of Agriculture prepared a ten-year strategy for the development of the industry in the post Agricultural Resources Agreement days. The summary of the document explains the situation nicely.

"The Agricultural industry ranks third among the primary industries in New Brunswick in its contribution to real Gross Domestic Product, estimated to be $34 million in 1981. The preliminary estimates for 1981 indicate that farm cash receipts have surpassed the $200 million level reaching $204.5 million. This is up $49.8 million over 1980 figures."

"In 1980, there were 3,700 farms in New Brunswick encompassing a total farm land area of 763,000 acres. The total value of farm capital invested in Agriculture in the Province was $511.0 million, representing an average value per farm of $138,200. Gross value of production for these farms was $211.0 million. The Agricultural labour force resulting from Agricultural activity in the food processing and transportation sectors is estimated at an additional 18,000 jobs."

Basic structural changes had occurred in the Province's agricultural sector over the past two decades. A gradual consolidation of farm land had taken place. There has been an increase in the number of commercial farms and industry is now characterized by larger and more efficient, specialized operations.

Productivity has been increasing steadily on New Brunswick farms. Volume of production per farm has increased significantly over the past decade.

The three major commodities traditionally produced are potatoes, dairy products and cattle and calves. The gross value of production for these commodities was $65.8 million, $35.2 million, and $25.3 million, respectively, in 1980, accounting for 59% of the total value of production for the industry in that year. In recent years, the dairy sector has been increasing in relative importance to potatoes as a contributor to farm cash receipts.