Farmers in Ontario are generally a happy lot. According to a recent survey they are increasing in optimism about the future and are more optimistic about the future than farmers across the rest of Canada.

According to a Farm Credit Canada survey, 55 percent of Canadian farmers said they were optimistic about the future of agriculture, up slightly from 2007. But about 60 percent of Ontario farmers say they’re optimistic about the future of agriculture, up from just under 50 percent two years ago. The third annual report takes in numbers from across the country on the state of agriculture amid uncertainty in various sectors.

By sector in Ontario, beef farmers were found to be most pessimistic, while dairy and other animal respondents were most optimistic. Of Ontario’s farmers, 54 percent expect to be at least a little better off in five years, which is an increase in optimism from last year. Farmers said the greatest opportunities in farming are in areas of supply managed production and public demand for new products. The greatest challenges were rising input costs and turning a profit, the survey found.

Respondents of the survey’s 4,500 respondents across Canada were defined as optimistic if they said their farm or business would be much better off or somewhat better off in five years