Every year, over the course of a typical crop cycle (from spring to late fall), Statistics Canada provides data on field crops. The Field Crop Reporting Series is a source of reliable and timely information for the agriculture industry—providing an overview of field crops and insight into the farming economy in Canada.
The results help track major grain production nationally and provincially, indicate the availability of crops, provide annual trend information by crop and small area regions and assist farmers in their planning.
Field crop variables
The Field Crop Reporting Series track four key variables:
- The areas seeded and harvested
- The yields obtained
- The production levels attained
- The on-farm stocks levels at precise times during the crop year.
The survey cycle
Statistics Canada's field crop surveys are conducted three times a year, from early spring to the end of harvest season. This allows the agency to provide accurate crop data at key times throughout the year.
Each of the three surveys provides an important reading of the field crop situation at key times. Field crop data is also modelled three times per year as part of an initiative under way at Statistics Canada, which aims to produce high-quality estimates using modelling, administrative data, and other non-traditional survey-based approaches.
Gathering field crop data
The six occasions in the Field Crop Reporting Series are:
- March field crop modelled data: On-farm stocks are modelled using survey estimates and administrative data.
- June field crop survey: Farmers provide the final area estimates that, at the time of the interview (mid-May to mid-June), they have actually seeded. Farmers also provide the final reading of on-farm stock levels on July 31st, the end of the crop year for most principal field crops.
- July field crop modelled data: Since 2020, model-based data is used to estimate the July occasion yield and production for the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. The July model incorporates coarse resolution satellite data from Statistics Canada's Crop Condition Assessment Program, data from Statistics Canada's field crop reporting series, and agroclimatic data. Many factors, including droughts, floods and diseases, can have a large impact on the final estimates, which come in after harvests are completed in the fall.
- August field crop modelled data: Model-based data is used to estimate the August yield and production for the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.
- November field crop survey: Farmers provide the final yield and production estimates that, at the time of the survey (mid-October to mid-November), they actually obtained.
- December field crop survey: Farmers provide preliminary estimates of the type of crop and the area that they intend to seed in the new crop year. This information is important because Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada use this data to set up their preliminary grain estimates for the summer farm income forecast. Farmers provide the first reading of on-farm stock levels after the preceding fall harvests are completed.
On-farm stock levels
On-farm stock levels, which measure the quantities of grain still in storage, are an important component of the field crop surveys. The on-farm stock levels are estimated three times a year. This information is a key element in the supply and disposition analysis, which ensures that the volume of grain produced or imported in a given crop year is equal to the volume of the same grains that made their way to the grain market. The estimates are referenced at precise dates and occur on:
- December 31 (December field crop survey)
- March 31 (March data modelled using survey estimates and administrative data)
- July 31 (June field crop survey).
Reliable crop statistics
Statistics Canada prides itself on providing reliable statistics for the agriculture industry. Crop data are provided in a timely manner, analyzed and validated to ensure farmers' answers are reflected properly and the data are reliable and accurate.
Participation
The survey data are obtained primarily from farmers. Accurate and timely statistical information could not be produced without their continued co-operation and goodwill.