About the Census of Agriculture >

Data collection

Data collection begins in May
The Census of Agriculture help line
Census representatives' follow-up
The Census of Agriculture and the Internet
Progress of seeding follow-up

Data collection begins in May

Conducting the Census of Agriculture jointly with the Census of Population in mid-May helps streamline collection procedures and saves millions of dollars. In 2001, as in previous censuses, census representatives (CRs) delivered Census of Population questionnaires to every household in their enumeration areas (EAs). A Census of Agriculture questionnaire was also dropped off if someone in the household operated an agricultural operation.

During the drop-off stage, CRs are instructed to ask all respondents, "Is anyone in this household a farm operator?" This question helps identify those who should also complete a Census of Agriculture questionnaire. The question is especially useful in cases where a farm operator lives away from the actual farm operation. The same question appears on the Census of Population questionnaire to identify other farm operators who may not have been contacted in person during drop-off. When contact is not made at drop-off, the CR will also drop off a Census of Agriculture questionnaire whenever agricultural activity is evident at the dwelling.

All Census of Agriculture respondents, except those living in remote and northern areas, were asked to mail back their completed questionnaires in the pre-addressed postage-paid envelopes provided. In remote or northern areas of the country, CRs visited the agricultural operations and completed the form by interviewing the farm operator.

The Census of Agriculture help line

The Census of Agriculture help line (CAHL) is a toll-free telephone service that respondents can call during the collection period to obtain assistance in completing the questionnaire. In 2001, the service was used by more than 25,000 respondents.

Census representatives' follow-up

The mailed back questionnaires were returned to the census representative to edit, or check, for completeness. The CR follows up any questionnaires that fail edit by telephone. When dropped-off forms have not been returned by mail within a certain period of time, a non-response follow-up is required. Usually up to three telephone contacts and four personal visits will be attempted in order to obtain a response.

The Census of Agriculture and the Internet

Completing the Census of Agriculture questionnaire over the Internet was new for the 2001 Census. This option was offered in two select areas (one predominately urban and the other rural) during the 2001 Census to test the viability of this new collection method.

Households in the two sites received an insert with their 2001 Census questionnaire packages informing them of the option to complete their questionnaire via the Internet. This option included the Census of Population long and short forms as well as the Census of Agriculture form. The insert provided the Web site address and instructions for accessing the questionnaires. Once the appropriate questionnaire was selected, the respondent entered the access code provided on the insert onto the electronic questionnaire. This action authenticated users, allowed them to access the application, and notified the field collection operation once a questionnaire had been received from that household.

A single portal, or entry point, was used for both the agriculture and population questionnaires. Designing the Internet questionnaire to resemble the paper version ensured consistency from respondents which, in turn, ensures data quality. The Internet version also included navigational aids, drop-down menus, and online edits based on the traditional paper edits normally done by the census representative.

Progress of seeding follow-up

The Progress of Seeding Follow-up Survey was used again in 2001 to verify or update crop data. This survey was introduced in 1996, when Census Day changed from the first Tuesday in June to the second Tuesday in May. Seeding of crops across Canada typically occurs between the first of May and early June. The change in Census Day could have a significant impact on the field crop area reported by agricultural operators in that crops seeded after Census Day could differ considerably from what had been planned and reported on the census questionnaire.

In 2001, some 45,000 farm operators across the country were contacted. The Progress of Seeding Follow-up Survey was a major factor in obtaining the high-quality crop area data required for historical comparability, and for benchmarking crop estimates between censuses and analysing small area data.