Time Trends for Livestock Production in Saskatchewan, Canada: 1905-2011

Saskatchewan, Canada, with a total land area of 651,900 km^2^, is one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions. A broad variety of livestock are raised in the province, including cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep/goats, llama, ostrich, elk, deer, and bison. In 2010, the total revenue from the Saskatchewan livestock sector was CAD$1.6 billion. Over the past century, changing industry economics and advances in scientific, technical, and engineering knowledge and practices have affected the amount and type of livestock produced. The current work examines time trends for livestock production since Saskatchewan was created in 1905. While production trends vary widely by livestock type, most sectors display clearly increasing amounts of industry consolidation over time, warranting more detailed investigations into the socio-economical and technological drivers behind such changes