Table of contents

• Labour market activity and school attendance (ACT1)
• Support payments received (SCC1)
• Support payments paid (SCC2)
• Childcare expenses (SCC3)
• Inter-household transfers – amounts received (IHT1)
• Inter-household transfers – amounts paid (IHT2)
• Total personal income (INC1)
• Introduction to the disability screening questions (PDSQ)
• Disability screening questions (DSQ)
• Unmet health care needs (UCN)
• Financial difficulty due to disability (FDD)
• Owners and renters (DWL)
• Owners (OWN)
• Food security (FSC)

1. Who needs to complete a Census of Agriculture questionnaire?

Any person responsible for operating a farm or an agricultural operation should complete a Census of Agriculture questionnaire.

2. What is the definition of an agricultural operator?

The Census of Agriculture uses the word operator to define a person responsible for the management and/or financial decisions made in the production of agricultural commodities. An agricultural operation can have more than one operator, such as a husband and wife, a father and son, two sisters, or two neighbours.

The terms "agricultural operator" and "operation" are used in the census because they are broader in scope than "farmer" and "farm", and better reflect the range of agricultural businesses from which the Census of Agriculture collects data. For example, the term "farm" would not usually be associated with operations such as maple sugar bushes, mushroom houses, ranches or feedlots.

3. How is an agricultural operation defined?

An agricultural operation is defined as a farm or agricultural holding that produces agricultural products and reports revenues or expenses for tax purposes to the Canada Revenue Agency.

Agricultural products include:

• Crops:
  • hay and field crops (hay, grains, field peas, beans, potatoes, coriander and other spices, etc.)
  • vegetables (all vegetables, herbs, rhubarb, melons, garlic, gourds, etc.)
  • sod, nursery products and Christmas trees
  • fruits, berries or nuts (apples, other fruit trees, grapes, blueberries and other berries, saskatoons, hazelnuts, etc.)
  • seed
• Poultry:
  • laying hens and pullets
  • layer and broiler breeders
  • broilers, roasters and Cornish
  • turkeys
  • other poultry (geese, ducks, roosters, ostriches, emus, pheasants, quail, pigeons, etc.)
  • commercial poultry hatcheries
• Livestock:
  • cattle and calves
  • pigs
  • sheep and lambs
  • other livestock (horses, goats, llamas, alpacas, rabbits, bison, elk, deer, wild boars, mink, fox, donkeys, mules, chinchillas, etc.)
• Animal products:
  • milk or cream
  • eggs
  • wool
  • fur
  • meat
• Other agricultural products:
  • greenhouse products
  • mushrooms
  • maple products
  • bees owned (for honey or pollination)
• Other products or activities considered agricultural operations according to the Census of Agriculture are:
  • harvesting wild rice
  • sprouting alfalfa or beans
  • growing mushrooms on logs in a controlled environment
  • wineries, if they grow any grapes or fruit
  • garden centres if they grow any of their products
  • hay processing or dehydration plants if they grow hay on land they own or lease

The following are NOT considered agricultural operations according to the Census of Agriculture:

• Operations that harvest or grow only:
  • peat moss
  • top soil
  • gravel
  • fish (wild or aquaculture)
  • silviculture products
  • wild cones, wild Christmas trees, logs, firewood, pulpwood, evergreen boughs, etc.
  • wild berries, wild plants, wild mushrooms, etc.
  • all wild animals
  • racing pigeons
  • worms
  • crickets, rats, mice, etc., for pet stores
  • laboratory animal production
  • all pets (dogs, cats, pot-bellied pigs, guinea pigs, finches, budgies, etc.), including kennels for pets

4. Are hobby farms included in the Census of Agriculture?

Yes. Farms with very low farm revenues—commonly called "hobby farms"—are included, as long as the operation produces agricultural products and reports revenues or expenses for tax purposes to the Canada Revenue Agency.

5. Why do operators of small operations have to complete the Census of Agriculture questionnaire?

The Census of Agriculture enumerates small operations because it is important that the total farm area and the total inventory of all crops, livestock and other agricultural products in Canada be counted. As a group, all the small agricultural operations contribute significantly to agricultural inventories.

6. How does the Census of Agriculture benefit farm operators?

When an agricultural operator completes and returns a Census of Agriculture questionnaire, it adds another voice to the quarter of a million answers that are reflected in census data. As a whole, they provide the only definitive statistical picture of Canada's farm sector available to farmers' own organizations and to agriculture policy-makers. The media also interpret census data, bringing current issues to the forefront of public attention.

Although Statistics Canada conducts other agriculture surveys, only the Census of Agriculture provides data at the local level. Its community-level data ensure that the issues affecting farmers, farm communities and agricultural operations are included in the decisions that affect them and their livelihood.

• Operators can use census data to make production, marketing and investment decisions.
• Producer groups and marketing agencies use census data in their non-government organizations to tell Canadians and government how they are doing economically.
• Companies supplying agricultural products and services use the data to determine locations for their service centres.
• Government policy advisors use the data to help develop programs related to safety nets and agricultural workers for the agriculture sector.
• Operators can keep abreast of trends through the analysis of Census of Agriculture data published by the agriculture media.
• Agriculture websites can target their information based on current trends and needs in the sector identified by census data.
• Governments and farm organizations use census data to evaluate the impact of natural disasters on agriculture (such as floods, drought and storms) and react appropriately.

7. What is the legal authority for the Census of Agriculture?

The mandate to conduct the Census of Agriculture every 10 years comes from the Constitution Act–1867 (formerly the British North America Act [BNA]).

Over the decades, the mandate to conduct a census in the Constitution Act–1867 was augmented by the Statistics Act–1970, which stipulates that

"A census of agriculture of Canada shall be taken by Statistics Canada

• in the year 1971 and in every tenth year thereafter; and
• in the year 1976 and in every tenth year thereafter, unless the Governor in Council otherwise directs in respect of any such year."

1970-71-72, c. 15, s. 19.

8. Is it mandatory to answer and return the questionnaire?

Yes. Under the Statistics Act, agricultural operators are required to complete a Census of Agriculture form.

9. Can a person be identified by the information they provide?

No. All published data are subject to confidentiality restrictions, and any data in which an individual or agricultural operation could be identified are not disclosed.

10. Why does Statistics Canada conduct the Census of Agriculture?

The Census of Agriculture collects a wide range of data on the agriculture industry such as number of farms and farm operators, farm area, business operating arrangements, land management practices, livestock inventories and crop area, total operating expenses and receipts, farm capital and farm machinery and equipment.

These data provide a comprehensive picture of the agriculture industry across Canada every five years at the national, provincial and sub-provincial levels.

11. Why doesn't the Census of Agriculture use sampling?

The Statistics Act requires that a census of all farm operations in Canada be conducted every five years. Since a census includes, by definition, every farm operation, sampling only a portion of operations would not honour the Act, nor would it provide the complete picture of the agricultural sector in Canada.

The Census of Agriculture is the primary source for small-area data and thereafter for survey sampling. It is important that each agricultural operation complete a Census of Agriculture questionnaire, regardless of size or geographic location. Samples are subsequently used for making agriculture estimates between census years.

12. Why aren't there different questionnaires for different types of agricultural operations?

The Census of Agriculture uses a generalized form for operators across Canada, since all respondents need to answer some questions. Using one form nation-wide ensures consistency across Canada, while tick boxes and different sections for specific types of operations allow operators to answer only those questions pertinent to their type of operation. A single form also keeps development costs down. Every effort is made to keep the questionnaire as concise as possible to minimize respondent burden.

13. How much does the Census of Agriculture cost?

The projected total cost for the 2021 Census of Agriculture over the six-year cycle is $49.4 million. An independently conducted Census of Agriculture would cost at least $12 million more in total than it does by combining it with the Census of Population.

14. Why is the Census of Agriculture conducted in May, such a busy time for farmers?

In this particularly busy period, the arrival of the 2021 Census of Agriculture questionnaire in May might seem ill-timed. But by working with the Census of Population, the Census of Agriculture is afforded an opportunity to save millions of taxpayers' dollars by sharing many aspects of collection and processing. The timing of the larger Census of Population is driven by the need to maximize the number of Canadians who are home during enumeration.

15. What about my income tax return? The census seems to be asking for similar information that I've already given the government.

In 2021, respondents must provide only total operating expenses and total sales for their agricultural operation on the Census of Agriculture questionnaire. In order to reduce the response burden for farmers, the detailed expense questions were removed from the 2021 Census of Agriculture questionnaire.

16. Why are other agriculture surveys conducted at the same time as the census?

Timely information on the agriculture industry is required by governments, other organizations and data users, therefore it is necessary to conduct sample surveys with a shorter time frame than the census. The Census of Agriculture is a national activity that involves collecting information from every agricultural operation in Canada. The collection, follow-up, quality checks, tabulation and publication of data from such an extensive operation takes about one year.

The census could not replace small-scale surveys, which have a much more rapid turnaround time. It is also more economical to collect certain types of information on a sample basis, especially if the required data are only for specific provinces or population groups. Once available, Census of Agriculture data are used to benchmark farm surveys.

17. What other agriculture surveys are being conducted during the 2021 Census window?

Between mid-April and the end of June, Statistics Canada conducts the following agriculture surveys:

• the Maple Survey (sample size approximately 600 in Ontario and New Brunswick)
• the National Potato Area and Yield Survey (sample size approximately 250 in the Atlantic Region, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia)
• the Fur Farm Report – Mink and Foxes (sample size approximately 150 nationally)
• the June Farm Survey (Field Crop Reporting Series) (sample size approximately 24,500 nationally)
• the July Livestock Survey (sample size approximately 11,000 nationally)
• the Hay and Straw Prices Survey (Ontario only, sample size approximately 125).

18. How is response burden being reduced?

Offering farm operators choices in the way they respond to the Census of Agriculture—online, on paper with return by mail, or by telephone—can also make responding easier and faster. A toll-free help line to answer respondents' questions about the Census of Agriculture is also available. Furthermore, the collection window for agricultural operators is considerably expanded, allowing respondents the flexibility to complete the census at a time more convenient for them.

19. How many agricultural operations were counted in the last Census of Agriculture?

The 2021 Census of Agriculture recorded 189,874 census farms.

Additionally, in 2021, there were 88 agricultural operations in Yukon and 8 in the Northwest Territories. In 2016, there were 142 agricultural operations in Yukon and 16 in the Northwest Territories.

20. How are Census of Agriculture data used?

Census of Agriculture data are used by:

• farm operators, to formulate production, marketing and investment decisions
• agricultural producer groups, to inform their members about industry trends and developments, to put the viewpoint of operators before legislators and the Canadian public, and to defend their interests in international trade negotiations
• governments, to make policy decisions concerning agricultural credit, crop insurance, farm support, transportation, market services and international trade
• Statistics Canada, to provide Canadians with annual estimates between censuses for the agriculture sector
• businesses, to market products and services and to make production and investment decisions
• academics, to conduct research on the agriculture sector
• the media, to portray the agriculture sector to the broader Canadian public.

21. What is different about the 2021 Census of Agriculture from 2016?

The 2021 Census of Agriculture questionnaire contains questions asked in 2016 as well as new ones. Some questions remain unchanged to maintain consistency and comparability of data over time. Other questions have been added or deleted to reflect changes in the agriculture industry. For example:

• Agricultural production (filter questions): This is a new step, consisting of Yes/No questions that identify the commodity questions that are relevant to the respondent. It has been added to simplify responding and reduce the time needed to complete the census.
• Direct marketing: Direct sales categories were expanded, as well as the methods of direct selling to include off-site farm stores or stands, direct deliveries to consumers, and Community Supported Agriculture/food baskets. A new question was added on percentage of gross farm receipts.
• Succession planning: The succession question was expanded to include whether a written succession plan that is not in place has been discussed or not.
• Greenhouse products: Subcategories were added for Greenhouse fruits and vegetables (greenhouse tomatoes, greenhouse cucumbers, greenhouse peppers, greenhouse herbs, and other greenhouse fruits and vegetables), cut flowers and potted plants split up into two subcategories. Examples were added of other products grown in a greenhouse.
• Renewable energy producing systems: A definition for renewable energy was added. A question was added asking for the intended use of renewable energy produced on the operation (for use on operation or for sale).
• Business information: A new step was added on the main activity.

A detailed explanation of other changes, deletions or additions to the 2021 questionnaire is available by step in the order they appear on the 2021 questionnaire. Please consult The 2021 Census of Agriculture in detail. These changes result from user consultations and scientific testing and also have the goal of reducing respondent burden. Some questions were slightly re-worded to make these questions more understandable and easier to answer.

22. Does the Census of Agriculture ask any questions that could be used to assess farming's impact on the environment?

Many of the questions on the census can contribute to forming a picture of Canadian farms and the manner in which they shape the environment.

The Census of Agriculture asks questions about farming practices that conserve soil fertility and prevent erosion, pesticide and fertilizer use, and the land features used to prevent wind or water damage. There is a section on manure use, another on irrigation, one on tillage practices and one on baling crop residue. Data from these questions present a picture of farmers' relationship with the environment and, by evaluating and comparing the data over time, analysts can assess how operators are adapting their methods and fulfilling their role as stewards of the land.

23. Where/how will Census of Agriculture questionnaires be processed?

Questionnaires submitted online to Statistics Canada are captured automatically. Paper questionnaires, once completed, are received by Canada Post. The paper questionnaires then go to a central processing centre in the National Capital Region where they are electronically captured.

Processing Census of Agriculture questionnaires includes many checks and balances to ensure high quality data. Its many steps—including several kinds of edits (clerical, subject-matter, geographic), matching and unduplicating individual farms, adjusting for missing data, validating data by comparing them to several benchmarks, and providing estimates—have evolved into a sophisticated system that ensures high-quality data. The data that emerge at the other end are stored on a database and used to generate publications and users' custom requests.

24. What steps are taken to ensure that all agricultural operations are counted?

In 2021, Canada Post delivers an invitation letter to complete a Census of Agriculture questionnaire on the internet to addresses where it is believed a farm operator lives. The addresses are determined from Statistics Canada's business register, populated from the previous census, agriculture surveys and other sources.

Respondents are able to complete their questionnaires via the Internet, or by telephone if assistance is required. Telephone follow-up will be conducted with those respondents who received invitation letters or questionnaires, but did not return them.

In addition, the data processing includes several safeguards that can find "missing" farms that were counted in 2016 but did not return a questionnaire in 2021 or, conversely, farms that did not exist in 2016 but have been identified on subsequent agriculture surveys since then.

25. When will the 2021 Census of Agriculture data be available to the public, and how can I keep track of releases?

The first release will take place on May 11, 2022 - All farm and farm operator variables for the 2021 Census of Agriculture will be released.

Statistics Canada's official release bulletin, The Daily, lists the full range of census data with highlights on major trends and findings.

Data from both the Census of Population and Census of Agriculture will appear in the general media and farm media. Users may also contact Statistics Canada general enquiries toll free number at 1-800-263-1136.

26. Why does it take a year to release results from the Census of Agriculture?

The Census of Agriculture is a national activity that involves collecting information from every agricultural operation in Canada. The collection, follow-up, quality checks, processing, validation, tabulation and publication of data from such an extensive operation take about one year.

All of these steps must be made to assure that data are accurate, even at very low levels of geography. This is critical since census data are used to benchmark estimates and draw survey samples between censuses.

27. For which geographical areas are Census of Agriculture data available?

Census of Agriculture data are available for Canada, the provinces and territories, and for areas corresponding to counties, crop districts and rural municipalities. User-defined areas are also available by calling Statistics Canada general enquiries toll free number at 1-800-263-1136. All tabulated data are subjected to disclosure control restrictions, and any data that could result in the disclosure of information concerning any particular individual or agricultural operation are suppressed.

28. Are cannabis farms included in the Census of Agriculture?

Data for cannabis operations were collected for the first time by the 2021 Census of Agriculture. Due to the complexity of these operations' organizational structure and activities, these respondents were not able to provide responses that precisely captured the agricultural activity of cannabis cultivation in its entirety and/or disassociated from non-agricultural activities. Furthermore, the response rate for cannabis operations was low, and this consequently resulted in a high imputation rate. As a result, cannabis operations were excluded from the Census of Agriculture databases and its data releases. As an alternative, the Census of Agriculture published cannabis data extracted from administrative files received from Health Canada. These data provide the number of licensed cannabis cultivators and their production areas at the national and provincial levels of geography. Separate information is available for operations growing cannabis under cover and in open fields. Cannabis operations included in this release are not included in all other Census of Agriculture releases.

Changes, additions or deletions from the 2016 questionnaire by topic in the order they appear on the 2021 questionnaire.

General stylistic changes prevalent throughout the questionnaire:

• The questionnaire was optimized for respondents to efficiently fill out on-line.
• The questionnaire is now organized in modules to facilitate the identification of relevant sections of the questionnaire for every respective respondent.
• Key words which were previously capitalized for emphasis are now bolded and lower-case.
• Questions are now re-formulated into an interrogative structure rather than an imperative one.
• Most answer fields are no longer in grid format (for each letter) and completely blank.
• "Total" questions were previously worded in a manner that explicitly instructed respondents how to calculate the answer given values provided to previous questions (e.g., TOTAL of questions 10 to 14). They now incorporate a contextual description of the components of the given "total" (e.g., the Total land question reads: "Total land area owned, leased, rented, crop-shared or used").
• Instructions to "fill in all applicable circles" were changed to "Select all that apply".

Business or organization and contact information

• This module requests information previously asked in Step 1 in 2016, with some revisions in wording:
  • "Farm name" and "Corporation name" changed to "Operating name" and "Legal name", respectively.
  • "Family name" and "Given name and initial(s)" have been replaced by "Last name" and "First name", respectively.
• Question 2 now asks for the contact information of the designated contact person who should receive the questionnaire, as opposed to the contact information of the person completing the questionnaire, as requested in 2016. It also newly requests the contact person's preferred language of communication.
• In Question 3, respondents are newly requested to indicate the current operational status of their business or organization.
• An alternate phone number is no longer requested.

Agricultural activity

• The Agricultural activity module was a new addition to the 2021 questionnaire, and is meant for respondents to indicate whether the operation fits under Statistics Canada's farm definition. It inquires whether the operation produces agricultural products, and whether the operator will be reporting sales or expenses for said products to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The module consists of the following:
• Will this operation produce agricultural products in 2021?
  Examples of agricultural products include: field crops, vegetables, fruit, livestock, horses, poultry, meat, milk, eggs, maple products, honey, wool, ornamental plants, sod, Christmas trees, greenhouse products, mushrooms.
  • Yes
    • Will this operation be reporting sales or expenses for these agricultural products to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)?
      Include sales and expenses from:
      • agricultural products grown or raised by this operation in 2021 (e.g., field crops, vegetables, fruit, livestock, horses, poultry, meat, milk, eggs, maple products, honey, wool, ornamental plants, sod, Christmas trees, greenhouse products, mushrooms)
      • other commodities produced using agricultural products grown or raised by this operation in 2021 (e.g., wine, meat products).
        • Yes
        • No
  • No

Canada Revenue Agency Business Numbers

• This module consists of part of the former Step 1 of the 2016 questionnaire. There are two questions: Question 1 asks whether the operation has a Business Number issued by the CRA, and to provide it if yes. Question 2 is a new addition, and asks respondents who operate or own other agricultural businesses to list the legal or operating name and associated Business Numbers of said other businesses.

Agricultural operators

• Formerly Step 2.
• Some wording changes were applied to questions 5 and 6 for greater detail and specificity, with the precision of weekly average time contributions in lieu of average time contributions, and examples for what is to be included and excluded in the categories of "Farm work" and "Other work".

Paid labour

• Formerly Step 32.
• The concept of paid labour has changed from employees who were paid any wages or salaries to agricultural workers to whom the operation issued any T4 slips for the 2020 tax year.
• Descriptions of who should be counted under agricultural workers and family workers were added to the 2021 module.
• A yes/no component was added to the question 9 about family workers.

Main farm location

• Formerly Step 8.
• Questions 7 and 8 from the 2016 questionnaire have been amalgamated into this module. Province is now asked to be reported as part of the land description farms situated in British Columbia and the Prairie provinces.
• A definition of the main farm location was added to the 2021 questionnaire: "This is where the main agricultural activities take place. It can be the farm headquarters, main farm buildings, or main gate."

Unit of measure

• Formerly Step 4.
• Instruction text to "use the chosen unit to report all areas throughout the questionnaire unless otherwise specified" is no longer in the question.
• No other content changes.

Area of land

• Formerly Step 5.
• Include text for workable land is now all encompassing with the addition of maple trees tapped. The explanation of non-workable land was slightly stream-lined and is no longer in bullet-point form.
• Under total workable and non-workable land, respondents are explicitly instructed to include land that they own even if it is operated or used by others.
• An explanation of crop-sharing was added to the question: "Note: Crop-sharing is an agreement in which the operator shares investment and risk with the land owner".
• The Total area label was changed from "TOTAL of questions 10 to 14" to "Total land area owned, leased, rented, crop-shared or used" to allow for more meaning in interpretation.

Agricultural production

• This module is a new addition to the 2021 questionnaire and replaces the Yes/No component to commodity steps in the 2016 questionnaire for all types of agricultural products reported on the census, and added a Yes/No component to the Farm vehicles, machinery and equipment question. The set of filter questions are generally structured in the following manner with some variation depending on the subject of the question: "In 2021, are any [insert agricultural products] grown on this operation for sale?" with a brief explanation of what is included/excluded in the definition of the commodity/topic. In order of the questions in the module, these products or topics are:
  • Mushrooms
  • Maple trees tapped
  • Sod, nursery products and Christmas trees
  • Agricultural products grown in a greenhouse
  • Fruits, berries and nuts
  • Field vegetables
  • Field crops and hay
  • Honey bees and other pollinating bees
  • Poultry
  • Chickens and turkeys
  • Table eggs and hatching eggs
  • Commercial poultry hatchery
  • Livestock
  • Organic products
  • Farm vehicles, machinery and equipment
• The addition of this module is meant to identify more efficiently which parts of the questionnaire respondents should answer, and thus reduce completion time and respondent burden.

Hay and field crops

• Formerly Step 6
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• The Hay or Field Crops module now specifies the reference year 2021 for which this commodity should be reported. More precise instructions are given to respondents in the case where two or more crops will be harvested from the same land: to report each crop and to split the area between each in lieu of instructions to report the areas only once.
• In the Include text, Field crops and hay to be harvested, and green manure are separated into two bullet points, in order to facilitate easier comprehension.
• The Exclude text now includes summerfallow, pasture, woodlands and other lands. The instruction to exclude land used by others was taken out.
• Respondents are now advised to report smaller land areas using decimals, and are given an example of converting an area from fraction form to decimal form.
• An explanation of "Mixed Grains" was added to that category of field crops. Instructions to exclude certain varieties of a crop are more explicitly stated, in lieu of solely instructing respondents on where to report other varieties.
• The following modifications were made to the 2021 hay and field crops categories:
  • New categories were created for faba beans and hemp.
  • Desi and kabuli bean varieties were added to the Include text for chickpeas.
  • The varieties of timothy, ryegrass and orchard grass were added to the Include text for "all other tame hay and fodder crops for hay and silage".
  • The replacement of "standard varieties" to "sunola varieties" for the "sunflower seeds" category.
  • An Include text for canary seeds specifying the inclusion of hairless (canario) varieties.
  • Precision of total seeded and harvested area to be reported for ginseng.
  • The removal of caraway seeds, hemp, and other spices, and the addition of quinoa to the examples of "Other field crops".

Field vegetables

• Formerly Step 7.
• The name of the module was changed from "Vegetables" to "Field vegetables" to distinguish greenhouse vegetables from field-grown vegetables.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• Instructions were added for how to report in the cases of double-cropping or inter-cropping.
• The split fraction format of the area fields was changed to single answer boxes.
• Explicit Exclude text for certain varieties have been added on top of instructions on where to report these varieties, in order to prevent misreporting and double-reporting of areas.
• The following modifications were made to the 2021 field vegetables categories:
  • The addition of Include text for Chinese cabbage, specifying that areas of bok choy and napa be reported in the field.
  • Due to increased prominence of these vegetables, new stand-alone categories have been created for garlic, kale and rhubarb, which respondents were previously instructed to report in "Other field vegetables".
  • Sweet potatoes were added to the list of examples listed for "Other field vegetables".

Fruits, berries and nuts

• Formerly Step 8.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• Include text was added to inform respondents that fruits and berries used to produce wine, and all producing and non-producing vines, bushes and trees should be reported in this module.
• The following modifications were made to the 2021 fruits, berries and nuts categories:
  • "Blackcurrants, redcurrants and whitecurrants" and haskaps have moved from the "Other fruits, berries or nuts" category to stand-alone ones.
  • Blueberries were split into two categories: high bush and low bush, with an added specification for lowbush blueberries ("Include wild blueberries grown on managed land").
  • Include text has been added to the categories of Sour cherries, Sweet cherries, peaches and low bush blueberries.
  • Walnuts and gooseberries were added as examples for "Other fruits, berries or nuts".
  • Instruction text to "specify" the other fruits, berries or nuts was taken out, the spatial re-organization of the answering field made the correct reporting of names and areas for this category more intuitive to respondents.

Sod, nursery products and Christmas trees

• Formerly Step 9.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• The reference year for which respondents are reporting their commodities is now included the question. Include/Exclude text was ensure accurate reporting in this module.
• No other content changes.

Land use

• Formerly Step 10.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• The module has been re-formatted so that the Net Area total is only asked for once at the end of the module, meaning that question 89 of Step 10 in the 2016 questionnaire was removed.
• The question corresponding to cropland area was reworded for concision.
• Sugarbush has been moved from the examples listed for "Woodlands and wetlands" to the title of the category, so that the 2021 category reads: "Woodland, sugarbush and wetlands".
• Under "Natural land for pasture", shared land where livestock graze based on a permit or licence was added to the Include text.
• Farm buildings was bolded for emphasis in the example list under "All other land".

Summerfallow

• Formerly Step 11.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• Some wording changes were applied so that the question no longer directly references the summerfallow reported in the module above, under the assumption that it is already reasonably assumed given the placement and vocabulary in the question. The Exclude text was slightly revised for concision.

Tillage and seeding practices

• Formerly Step 12.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• The question has been slightly re-formatted for easier comprehension and now incorporates the reference year.

Land practices and features

• Formerly Step 13.
• This module re-formatted the content in Step 13 of the 2016 questionnaire by separating the previous list of land practices and features into 2 larger questions containing sub-components:
  • One for land practices with sub-questions inquiring into:
    • In-field winter grazing or feeding
    • Rotational grazing
    • Plowing down green crops
    • Planting winter cover crops
  • One for land features including shelterbelts or windbreaks
• The wording of the questions has been modified for improved concision.
• No other content changes.

Crop residue

• Formerly Step 14.
• Option to report no crop residue was added to the module, while the 2016 Step only provided an answer field for area from which crop residue was baled the previous year.
• No other content changes.

Inputs or manure

• This module combines Steps 15 and 16 of the 2016 questionnaire. The module now asks: "In 2020, did this agricultural operation use any inputs or manure?" For those who answer yes, they are asked to provide the areas on which various inputs or manure were used.
• Treated seed is now included as an input.
• Examples for Trace minerals and nutrients were removed.
• An instruction to exclude manure spread by livestock was added in the manure question.
• The spatial layout of the module was re-organized since 2016 to streamline reporting.

Irrigation

• Formerly Step 17.
• The drip method of irrigation was taken out of the examples of irrigation methods.
• The question was slightly re-formatted, with the Yes option and its corresponding irrigated area field coming before the No option.

Mushrooms

• Formerly Step 20.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• This module was considerably expanded in order to align with the format of other agricultural surveys which collect similar information.
• The module now collects information on Agaricus mushrooms and specialty mushrooms separately. Agaricus mushroom production is reported in square feet and square meters. For specialty mushrooms, the questionnaire first asks for the type of production system used for specialty mushrooms:
  • Bags
  • Natural wood logs
  • Other (e.g., beds, shelves, trays)

For bags and natural wood log systems, the number of each (bags and wood logs) as well as the dimensions of the bag and natural wood log systems are collected, in either feet or meters. Respondents are instructed to estimate the average dimensions if dimensions vary across bags or natural wood logs.

For other production systems, the total growing area of specialty mushrooms is collected in square feet or square meters.

Greenhouses

• Formerly Step 19.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• This module was considerably expanded in order to align with the format of other Greenhouse, Sod and Nursery Survey which collects similar information. Include/Exclude text was added to provide a more detailed description of which products should be reported in the module, in particular, controlled environments which encapsulate more than greenhouses. Accordingly, the Exclude text was modified to instruct respondents not to report areas and structures used for storage to account eggplants for any misunderstandings of the "controlled environment" concept. The Exclude text in 2021 also specifically instructs respondents not to report tree seedlings grown solely for reforestation, instead of the more general instruction in 2016 to report sod, nursery and Christmas trees elsewhere in the questionnaire.
• Data on greenhouse products are more extensively collected, with respondents being asked to report areas for the following:
  • Greenhouse fruits and vegetables
    • Greenhouse tomatoes
    • Greenhouse cucumbers
    • Greenhouse peppers
    • Greenhouse herbs
    • Other greenhouse fruits and vegetables
  • Cut flowers
  • Potted plants—indoor or outdoor
  • Other products grown in a greenhouse
• Descriptive examples of products to include in the above categories were added:
  • For "Other greenhouse fruits and vegetables":
    • e.g., lettuce, strawberries, sprouts, microgreens, shoots, eggplants
  • For "Potted plants—indoor or outdoor":
    • e.g., potted flowers, potted herbs, potted vegetable plants
  • For "Other products grown in a greenhouse":
    • e.g., ornamental tree seedlings, cuttings, bedding plants, transplants or plugs

Maple tree taps

• Formerly Step 21.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• The question is slightly re-formulated. The reference period has been changed to the spring of the reference year instead of solely the reference year. Include/Exclude text has been added to prevent misreporting of tree taps made on other trees than maple, as well as maple products that are not for sale.

Bees

• Formerly Step 22.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• Directions to exclude honey production for home or personal use were added.
• No other content changes.

Poultry

• Formerly Step 24.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• "Broiler, roaster and Cornish breeders (pullets and hens)" moved from the "Layer and broiler breeders" under "Chickens for eggs" to their own subcategory under "Chickens for meat".
• Turkeys, ducks and geese have moved from the "Other poultry" category to separate ones.
• Roosters, guinea fowl, peacocks and partridges were added to the examples of "Other poultry."
• No other content changes.

Chicken and turkey production

• Formerly Step 25.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• This module has been re-formatted so that respondents can report chickens and turkeys using different units of measure.
• Include/Exclude text has been incorporated, respondents are newly instructed to exclude chickens or turkeys for personal use.
• The reference year has been added to elements of the module for further emphasis of reporting production within the given timeframe.
• No other content changes.

Eggs

• Formerly Step 26.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• Directions to exclude eggs for personal use have been added. The format of the question has been slightly revised to be more succinct.

Commercial poultry hatcheries

• Formerly Step 27.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• The term "commercial poultry hatcheries" was taken out of the question, which has been reformulated instead to: "In 2020, how many chicks or other poultry were hatched?"
• Include text has been added to specifies that only hatcheries registered with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and that all types of poultry hatched in 2020 are to be reported in this module.

Livestock

• Formerly Step 28.
• "If applicable" was added in parentheses to the module title to direct respondents for which this category is irrelevant to skip the module.
• Instructions on what and what not to report in the 2016 step were reorganized into Include/Exclude text, the contents of which have remained consistent between both questionnaires.
• No changes in the cattle categories.
• In pigs, the previous "Boars" category was narrowed to "Boars kept for breeding" and placed below "Sows and gilts kept for breeding". The "Nursing pigs" category was re-named "Suckling pigs, less than 15 lb (7 kg)", and "Weaner pigs" to "Weanling, nursery or starter pigs, 15 to 49 lb (7 to 22 kg)", "Grower and finishing pigs" to "Market pigs, 50 lb (23 kg) and over".
• For the "Rams" category, the text now specifies that the reported lambs must be "1 year or over" in age.
• In "Other livestock", Donkeys and Mules now constitute a separate category instead of being designated to the "Other livestock" subcategory.

Technologies

• Formerly Step 23.
• This question has been reformatted such that respondents answer Yes/No for every listed technology instead of filling in bubbles for the applicable listed technologies.
• The following categories have been deleted/added from the 2016 step:
  • Deletions:
    • Computers/laptops for farm management
    • Smartphones/tablets for farm management
    • GPS technology
    • Automated environmental controls for animal housing
    • Automated animal feeding
  • Additions:
    • Variable-rate input application
    • Drones
    • Soil sample test
    • Slow-release fertilizer
• The following changes have been applied to categories below:
  • Automated steering (auto-steer) has been expanded into Automated guidance steering systems (auto-steer) on farm equipment.
  • GIS mapping is now spelled out in full with the abbreviation in parentheses. The list of examples has grown to include soil quality mapping, yield mapping and NDVI mapping.
  • Greenhouse automation has been renamed to Robotic greenhouse equipment.
  • Robotic milking has been renamed to Fully-robotic milking, with the specification: "i.e., no manual intervention required" added below.

Renewable energy

• Formerly Step 36.
• A definition of renewable energy was added under the question.
• The "include" instruction replaces "systems that produce energy" with "renewable energy produced". Instructions were added to exclude petroleum (gas or diesel) and coal products.
• The wording of the categories were modified to be more broad and encompassing:
  • "Wind Turbines" to "Wind"
  • "Solar panels" to "Solar", with a list of examples of systems underneath
  • "Bioenergy", which includes "Anaerobic biodigester (biogas or methane)" and "Biodiesel production systems" 2016 categories, was formed with the following subcategories:
    • Biomass combustion, e.g., straw, wood, wood pellets, perennial grasses
    • Biomethane, e.g., renewable natural gas
    • Other biogas, e.g., gasification
      • Exclude biomethane.
    • Biofuel, e.g., biodiesel, bioethanol
  • "Geothermal electric power" to "Geothermal", with a list of examples of energy systems following.
• There was a new question added to this module which requests respondents to identify the purpose of the renewable energy produced on a given operation. The two options are:
  • For use on this operation
    • e.g., using solar energy to heat livestock buildings or biomass heating for greenhouses
  • For sale
    • e.g., selling electricity onto the grid

Market value

• Formerly Step 29.
• Include/exclude directions have been edited for concision and readability.
• The headings for the answer fields have been changed from "Present market value (dollars only)" to "Present market value rounded to the nearest CAN$"

Farm vehicles, machinery and equipment

• Formerly Step 30.
• The previous instruction to "Report fixed machinery in Step 29" was changed to "Exclude fixed (i.e., immobile) equipment (the value of which was reported in the previous question)" to better prevent double-reporting of fixed machinery.
• The example calculation was described in more detail in the 2021 module.
• The respective headings for the answer fields: "Number owned and leased" and "Present market value (owned and leased) (dollars only)" to "Number of farm vehicles, machinery and equipment owned and leased" to "Present market value rounded to the nearest CAN$"
• In the Tractors category, the "Over 149 p.t.o. hp" has been split into the two categories "150 to 249 p.t.o. hp" and "Over 249 p.t.o. hp" to accommodate increased intensity of machinery use in the farming business over the years.
• No other major content changes.

Gross farm receipts and operating expenses

• Formerly Step 31.
• The Include text now lists program and insurance payments, and custom work receipts as two separate bullet points.
• The question has been re-worded, mentioning the exclusion of purchases of commodities resold and any expenses from non-farming activities directly in the wording of the question as well as in the Include/Exclude instructions.
• Inventory adjustment has been added to the list of expenses to exclude.

Direct marketing

• Formerly Step 33.
• Respondents are instructed to "Include sales directly at a market or on farm"
• In the instruction, a further clarification "to intermediaries such as marketers and wholesales" has been added in parentheses, to the instruction to exclude sales of any goods purchased for resale. Respondents are now asked to exclude sales directly to a store (to intermediaries such as retail and grocery stores, restaurants and bakeries).
• Cider and pies have been added as examples of Value added products.
• On-site farm stores have been added to the prior category: "Farm gate sales, stands, kiosks, U-pick" and food baskets to the category of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA)
• The following new categories have been created:
  • Off-site farm stores or stands
  • Direct deliveries to consumers
• The instruction to "Specify Other Methods" has been added under the "Other Methods" category
• The following new question has been added to the module:
  • In 2020, what percentage of the total gross farm receipts was from the sale of agricultural products directly to consumers for human consumption?
  • Exclude:
    • sales of any goods purchased for resale (to intermediaries such as marketers and wholesalers)
    • sales directly to a store (to intermediaries such as retail and grocery stores, restaurants and bakeries).
      • Percentage [Answer field] %

Succession plan

• Formerly Step 35.
• The definition given within the module was slightly modified between 2016 and 2021. In 2016, a succession plan was described as a "formalized plan that ensures the future continuity". This was replaced by "A written succession plan, also referred to as a transition plan, is a formalized plan and agreement that details the orderly transfer of the farm business from the current owners and operators to the future owners and operators of the farm business". The three elements remained consistent and are now listed in bullet-point form following the definition. The subsequent distinction was also added: "A will is not a written succession plan, unless it includes the three main elements noted above".
• Under the "No, a written succession plan is not in place" category, the following response options allow respondents to indicate the existence of informal arrangements or discussion of succession plans:
  • "A succession plan has been discussed but has not been formalized in a written agreement"
  • "No succession plan has been discussed as of May 11, 2021"
• No other content changes

Contact person

• This module is new. It now gives respondents the option of providing the information of the best person to contact for questionnaire follow-up, who is not the respondent himself. This module was designed to streamline the follow up process, and is structured the following way:
  • Statistics Canada may need to contact the person who completed this questionnaire for further information.
    Is the contact person provided on the cover page the best person to contact?
    • Yes – Go to "Comments" section
    • No
      • Who is the best person to contact about this questionnaire?
      • First name
      • Last name
      • Title
      • Email address
        Example: user@example.gov.ca
      • Telephone number (including area code) Extension number
        Example: 123-123-1234 (if applicable)
      • Fax number (including area code)
        Example: 123-123-1234

Comments

There is now a full page dedicated to comments by respondents, while in 2016, the comments section was limited to three lines on the back page of the questionnaire. The instruction on this page reads: "We invite your comments about this questionnaire."

Back page

No content changes other than the removal of the Comments section, which as indicated above, now has its own separate page.