It might be the middle of March, but Canadian farm operators know that there’s never really an off-season—there’s always something to do, or something going on!
We’re in the middle of Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (March 15 to 21), a campaign bringing awareness to keep farming operations safe, healthy, sustainable and successful, no matter how busy things get. If you’re a farmer, you can be part of the campaign to share information and resources on how to keep Canadian farms and farm operators safe.
This year’s topics include mental health, emergency preparedness, road and rail safety, and grain safety. Visit the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association’s Resources page for more information.
The Census of Agriculture is around the corner
Farm operators will be receiving their invitation letters to participate in the 2026 Census of Agriculture, beginning in early May. Statistics Canada has also been reaching out to the farming community with materials they can use to help promote the census.
All farm operators are asked to participate—the data collected are key to help support economic growth and sustainability for businesses in the Canadian agriculture sector and can support decision-making around international trade, competitiveness and technological progress.
The census will be easier to fill out this time
After the 2021 Census of Agriculture, a national consultation was conducted. The feedback received was used to improve this year’s questionnaire.
Since its launch in 2019, AgZero has made steady progress in reducing the response burden on farm operators by using administrative data from other sources.
For example, six expense-related questions have been removed from the 2026 questionnaire by using Canada Revenue Agency data, and for some respondents, another two questions by drawing on data from Statistics Canada’s annual greenhouse survey. Most maple syrup producers in Quebec will have one less question to answer, thanks to data from the association representing producers in that province.
Why is the census so important?
In addition to supporting data-driven policymaking, the 2026 Census of Agriculture is also the sole source of community-level agriculture data in Canada. It can help identify trends and provide information on emerging issues and opportunities. Farm organizations are also heavy users of census data.
The questionnaire covers a wide range of topics such as land use, crops, livestock, labour, equipment, land management practices and finances.
Census data also reveal the current demographics of Canadian farming communities, which can help farmers looking to start succession planning. For example, the 2021 Census showed that three in five (60.5%) farm operators were aged 55 years and older, up 6.0 percentage points from 2016.
In 2021, just over 3 in 10 (30.4%) farm operators were female, up from 2016 (28.7%). Fast-forward to 2026—the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Will Canada see an increase in the share of female operators, the average age of farm operators, and everything in between?
Every response to the Census of Agriculture helps paint that picture!
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).