General notes

• Symbols
• Conversion factors
• Rounding
• Confidentiality procedures
• Data precision
• Data inconsistencies
• Farm type
• Geographic definitions
• Geographic levels
• Income estimates from other sources
• Headquarters rule
• Incomplete enumeration of Indian reserves and Indian settlements

Symbols

The following standard symbols are used in Statistics Canada publications:

Conversion factors

The following factors are used to convert between different units of measurement:

• 1 acre = 0.404 685 59 hectare
• 1 hectare = 2.471 054 13 acres
• 1 arpent = 0.845 acre (for respondents in Quebec who reported land areas in arpents)

Rounding

Totals may not equal the sum of their parts due to the use of conversion factors or rounding of fractions to whole numbers.

Confidentiality procedures

Statistics Canada places the highest priority on maintaining the confidentiality of individual census questionnaires at all stages of the census process. All tabulated data have been subjected to either a "data suppression" or "random rounding" confidentiality procedure to prevent the possibility of associating statistical data with any identifiable agricultural operation or individual.

The "data suppression" procedure, employed in all farm data tables, identified and deleted all cell values that could result in the disclosure of information relating to a specific agricultural operation. In all cases, however, suppressed data were included in aggregate subtotals and totals in each of these tables.

The "random rounding" procedure was applied to all counts appearing in all farm operator and Agriculture–Population linkage tables. This technique randomly rounded all counts either up or down to a multiple of 5. While providing protection against disclosure, this procedure does not add significant error to the data but does result in certain data inconsistencies. For an explanation, please refer to Data inconsistencies.

Data precision

Historical estimates for some Agriculture–Population linkage variables may differ slightly from those previously published. Due to improved methodology, more precise weights are now being used in estimation. These changes have improved the quality and precision of the linkage estimates.

Data inconsistencies

i) due to the effects of random-rounding

The application of the "random rounding" confidentiality procedure to data appearing in the farm operator and Agriculture–Population linkage tables, has resulted in the following data inconsistencies:

• Since the totals in a table are randomly rounded independently of their component cell values, some differences may exist between the rounded totals and the sum of their rounded components. Percentage distributions do not necessarily add up to 100%. Averages are calculated based on unrounded data.
• Random rounding can significantly distort results for variables with small cell counts. Individual data cells containing small numbers may lose their precision as a result.
• Finally, minor differences can be expected in corresponding totals and cell values appearing in different tables. For example, the total number of farm operators under 35 years of age in Canada in 2006 has been randomly rounded, which may result in slightly different totals occurring in the tables in which the variable appears.

ii) due to the effects of sampling

The farm-related and operator-related estimates are derived from Agriculture–Population linkage 20% sample data which have been weighted up to represent the entire population. These estimates will differ from corresponding estimates appearing in the 2006 Farm and Farm Operator Data tables or previously released Census of Agriculture publications, which were based on the data collected from the entire population.

Farm type

Farm typing is a procedure that classifies each census farm according to the predominant type of production. This is done by estimating the potential receipts from the inventories of crops and livestock reported on the questionnaire and determining the product or group of products that make up the majority of the estimated receipts. For example, a census farm with total potential receipts of 60% from hogs, 20% from beef cattle and 20% from wheat, would be classified as a hog farm. Changes in farm type can reflect a shift in farming activity but could also be influenced by changing commodity prices.

The industry group is based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) farm-typing categories. NAICS is revised periodically. The 2001 industry group data were derived using NAICS 1997 and 2006 industry group data were derived using NAICS 2002. Both classifications are the same for the Canadian agriculture industry, making the data from the two reference years directly comparable.

NAICS was created against the background of the North American Free Trade Agreement. It is designed to provide common definitions of the industrial structure of the three countries (the United States, Canada and Mexico) and a common statistical framework to facilitate analysis of the three economies.

Geographic definitions

Census of Agriculture data are available for various pre-established statistical and administrative areas. Subject to confidentiality constraints, the data in this release are published at the national and provincial levels.

Canada

The Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories and Nunavut are not included in Canada totals.

Province/territory

Province and territory refer to the major political units of Canada. From a statistical point of view, they are basic areas for which data are tabulated. Canada is divided into 10 provinces and 3 territories.

Geographic levels

The 2006 socio-economic data from the Agriculture–Population linkage database are delivered at two geographic levels:

Canada

Provinces

Income estimates from other sources

Other sources of data to estimate income for the agriculture sector, in addition to the estimates from the Agriculture–Population data presented in this product are the Agriculture Economic Statistics (AES) series, the Farm Financial Survey (FFS) and the Taxation Data Program (TDP) of the Agriculture Division. These other sources are more current and are available annually or more frequently.

Agriculture Economic Statistics, catalogue no. 21-010-X to 21-018-X contain farm income estimates compiled from a combination of administrative and taxfiler data.

The Farm Financial Survey (FFS), catalogue no. 21F0008X, provides balance sheet, financial structure, capital investment and capital sales information based on survey data.

The Extraction System of Agriculture Statistics, catalogue no. 21F0001X also presents sources and levels of farm and off-farm income for farm operators and farm families.

Statistics on Income of Farm Families, catalogue no. 21-207-X, reports income of farm families according to data from personal income tax returns. It covers farm and off-farm income of families operating unincorporated farms with total operating revenues of $10,000 and over.

For more information concerning these and other income estimates, please contact your nearest Statistics Canada Regional Reference Centre, or Client Services and Marketing Unit, Agriculture Division, toll free at 1-800-465-1991; 1-613-951-1090; e-mail: agriculture@statcan.gc.ca.

You can also visit Statistics Canada's World Wide Web site at http://www.statcan.gc.ca.

Headquarters rule

Many agricultural operations in Canada are composed of numerous parcels of land in a number of locations. These different locations are often situated in several geographic areas (such as townships or counties). In these situations, the "headquarters rule" assigns all data collected for the agricultural operation to the geographic area where the farm headquarters is located.

Incomplete enumeration of Indian reserves and Indian settlements

On some Indian reserves and Indian settlements in the 2006 Census, enumeration was not permitted or was interrupted before it could be completed. Moreover, for some Indian reserves and Indian settlements, the quality of the enumeration was considered inadequate. These geographic areas (a total of 22) are called incompletely enumerated Indian reserves and Indian settlements.

Data for census farms located on these incompletely enumerated reserves and settlements are therefore not available. The impact of the missing data is very small for higher-level geographic areas (Canada, provinces, and census agricultural regions). However, the impact is more significant for those smaller areas (census divisions and census consolidated subdivisions) in which the affected reserves and settlements are located.

For a listing of the names and locations of the 22 incompletely enumerated Indian reserves and Indian settlements, please refer to Indian reserves and Indian settlements.