Changes, additions or deletions from the 2006 questionnaire by topic in the order they appear on the 2011 questionnaire

Cover page
Step 1. Important instructions to the recipient of the questionnaire (on the cover page)
Step 2. Operator identification (name, address, phone number) for up to three operators per farm
Step 3. Operator information
Step 4. Operating arrangements
Step 5. Main farm location
Step 6. Unit of measure
Step 7. Workable and non-workable land (land tenure)
Step 8. Hay and field crops
Step 9. Vegetables
Step 10. Sod, nursery products and Christmas trees
Step 11. Fruits, berries or nuts
Step 12. Land use
Step 13. Weed control on summerfallow land
Step 14. Practices and land features
Step 15. Tillage practices for land seeded or to be seeded
Step 16. Area from which crop residue was baled
Step 17. Herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, commercial fertilizers and lime
Step 18. Irrigation
Step 19. Manure
Step 20. Greenhouse products
Step 21. Mushrooms
Step 22. Maple tree taps
Step 23. Bees
Step 24. Poultry inventories
Step 25. Chicken and turkey production
Step 26. Eggs
Step 27. Commercial poultry hatcheries
Step 28. Livestock
Step 29. Market value of land and buildings
Step 30. Farm machinery and equipment
Step 31. Total gross farm receipts
Step 32. Operating expenses
Step 33. Paid work
Step 34. Computer use
Step 35. Organic products
Back page

Cover page

• For the first time, the Census of Agriculture will be full mail-out/mail-back; therefore the cover page of the 2011 Census of Agriculture questionnaire no longer has spaces for field enumerators to fill out.
• For the first time the name and address of the farm operator is stamped on the cover page. Since it comes from Statistics Canada's Farm Register the front page no longer defines who should complete the questionnaire by listing agriculture commodities offered for sale; it is assumed that the address correctly identifies an agriculture operator.
• Step 1 now appears on the cover page.
• The statement, “You have the option to complete this questionnaire on the Internet or on paper” that began the Internet or paper instructions in 2006 has been replaced by “How to complete the questionnaire.”
• Internet instruction 1 no longer states “and follow the instructions.”
• Internet instruction 2 now refers to the “secure access code” rather than the “Internet access code.”

Step 1. Important instructions to the recipient of the questionnaire (on the cover page)

• New step. The instructions appearing in Step 1 have been modified from the 2006 cover page and were not previously identified as a step. Recipients are now reminded to return the completed questionnaire by mail and are encouraged to return any extra questionnaires received for the same operation in the separate, postage-paid envelope provided.

Step 2. Operator identification (name, address, phone number) for up to three operators per farm

• Formerly Step 1.
• The first operator is no longer asked to provide an e-mail address but an alternative telephone number instead.
• The address line (number and road or street name, R.R. No., P.O. Box No.) is now called “Mailing address” rather than simply “Address.”

Step 3. Operator information

• Formerly Step 2.
• The option of “on average 20 to 40 hours per week” has been broken out into “on average, 20 to 29 hours per week” and “on average, 30 to 40 hours per week.”
• Step 3 on the 2006 questionnaire asked about any farm-related injuries requiring medical attention to operators, other family members and other persons. This step has been removed entirely from the questionnaire.

Step 4. Operating arrangements

• Respondents can now “Enter the Business Number (GST/HST) issued by Canada Revenue Agency for this agricultural operation.”
• Minor wording changes to the components of the step do not reflect a change in content.
• Respondents are directed to the comment box at the end of the questionnaire if more space is needed to describe the operating arrangements of their operation. In 2006 the comment box was incorporated into the step.

Step 5. Main farm location

• Formerly Step 7.
• Different types of land descriptions were entered into a single box in 2006; respondents are now given space to enter the civic address of the main farm location (number, road or street, name of village, town, city or municipality and province). If the main farm location is in the Prairies, space is provided to enter the quarter, section, township, range and meridian.

Step 6. Unit of measure

• No content changes.

Step 7. Workable and non-workable land (land tenure)

• Formerly Step 8.
• Clarifies the concept of crop-sharing by asking for “crop-shared land used by this operation” rather than “crop-shared FROM others.”
• Wording has been streamlined to emphasize that a sum of the parts is required in questions requiring a total.
• A total for “area of land used by others” (examples provided are rented, leased or crop-shared to others, land trading, rent-free, etc.) replaces three subsection totals plus an overall total.
• “Net area of this operation” replaces “total land area operated by this operation.”

Step 8. Hay and field crops

• Formerly Step 9.
• “Spring wheat” no longer lists the other wheat types to include, but reminds respondents to report “Durum wheat” in the space below.
• “Flaxseed” does not stipulate that “solin” should be reported in the “other field crops” category.
• “Tobacco” is no longer a stand-alone field crop, but is an example of a crop to include in the “other field crops” category.
• There are now four fields in which to report “other field crops.” New examples of other field crops to report are tobacco, hemp and spelt. Solin and safflower were removed.
• In 2006, Step 10 asked respondents to report the percentage of spring seeding or planting completed. This step has been removed.

Step 9. Vegetables

• Formerly Step 11.
• No content changes.

Step 10. Sod, nursery products and Christmas trees

• Formerly Step 12.
• Wording stipulates that the total area of nursery products reported should be “grown for sale.”

Step 11. Fruits, berries or nuts

• Formerly Step 13.
• The example showing how to report producing and non-producing area has been removed.
• Crab apples are no longer an example in the “other fruits, berries or nuts” category, nor are they excluded from the “apple” category.
• Examples of blueberries to be reported are “highbush blueberries and wild blueberries grown on managed land” rather than “cultivated highbush and lowbush, and lowbush grown on managed land.”
• New examples of “other fruits, berries or nuts” are “currants” and “blackberries.” “Loganberries” was removed.

Step 12. Land use

• Formerly Step 14.
• In an effort to clarify that the area reported in this section should equal the net area reported in Step 7 (land tenure), question 94 instructs the respondent to “enter the net area” reported in Step 7.
• The next instruction, “Report below how the area in question 94 is used,” emphasizes that the area reported is the land used by this operation.
• Question 95 asks the respondent for the “sum of all areas reported for field crops and hay, vegetables, sod, nursery products, Christmas trees, fruits, berries and nuts (total of questions 49, 75, 76, 77, 78 and 93)” which is much more detail than was asked for in 2006, though the intent remains the same—total land devoted to crops.
• Question 98, “natural land for pasture,” stipulates that “woodland used as pasture” should be included.
• Question 101 asks simply for the total of questions 95 to 100 and in parentheses again reminds the respondent that the components of land use should equal the net area reported in question 94. A large black arrow directs the respondent to the appropriate field in which to enter the sum.

Step 13. Weed control on summerfallow land

• Formerly Step 15.
• No content changes.

Step 14. Practices and land features

• Formerly Step 20.
• Two new practices were added: “in-field winter grazing or feeding” and “nutrient management planning.”

Step 15. Tillage practices for land seeded or to be seeded

• Formerly Step 22.
• A new directive was added to further clarify the concept: “Do not include land in summerfallow this year.”

Step 16. Area from which crop residue was baled

• New step.
• Asks respondents to report the area from which crop residue (straw, stover, stalks) was baled for bedding or sale in 2010.

Step 17. Herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, commercial fertilizers and lime

• Formerly Step 19.
• An instruction was added adjacent to the Yes option: “Report land areas only once for each input, even if there was more than one application in 2010.”

Step 18. Irrigation

• Formerly Step 23.
• Alfalfa was added to the option “Irrigated alfalfa, hay and pasture.”

Step 19. Manure

• Formerly Step 21.
• In question 108, where respondents indicate how manure was used or produced on this operation in 2010 the option “Applied on land that was rented TO others” was added.
• Question 109 now asks respondents to report the area on which manure is applied but not how that land is used.
• The options for application methods now include “manure spread naturally by grazing livestock.” “Liquid manure applied by irrigation” was removed.
• The solid and composted manure options were combined.

Step 20. Greenhouse products

• Formerly step 16.
• No content changes.

Step 21. Mushrooms

• Formerly Step 17.
• No content changes.

Step 22. Maple tree taps

• Formerly Step 18.
• No content changes.

Step 23. Bees

• Formerly Step 24.
• No content changes.

Step 24. Poultry inventories

• Formerly Step 25.
• The step has two new subsections—“chickens for eggs” and “chickens for meat” replacing the subsection “hens and chickens.” Within the “chickens for eggs” subsection the questions have had wording modifications to stipulate whether pullets and laying hens are intended for laying “table eggs” or for breeding. In the subsection “chickens for meat” the question asks respondents to “report breeders in question 122” if they are reporting “broilers, roasters and Cornish.”
• Examples of “other poultry” now include “pigeons” and no longer include “wild turkeys.” Respondents can now specify three “other poultry” types instead of two.

Step 25. Chicken and turkey production

• Formerly Step 26.
• Questions 128 and 129 ask respondents to report live weight production of chickens and turkeys but the extra instruction, “in 2005, what was the total production of:” has been removed.

Step 26. Eggs

• New step.
• Respondents are asked, “In 2010, were any EGGS produced on this operation for sale” stipulating for “table eggs (dozens)” and “hatching eggs (dozens).”

Step 27. Commercial poultry hatcheries

• No content changes.

Step 28. Livestock

• “Nursing pigs” and “weaner pigs” are now stand-alone questions, whereas in 2006 they were reported together.
• In question 152 (other livestock) an instruction was added: “Report animals of all ages unless otherwise specified.”
• “Rabbits” replaced “fox” as a stand-alone question.
• Mink stipulates that the respondent should “report breeding stock only.”
• “Rabbits” was removed and “fox” was added to the examples in the “other livestock—specify” section.

Step 29. Market value of land and buildings

• No content changes.

Step 30. Farm machinery and equipment

• The subheading “farm trucks” was removed. “Pick-ups and cargo vans” and “all other farm trucks” are still reported as stand-alone questions.
• Question 174, “All other farm machinery and equipment not reported above...” now includes the following examples: elevators, wagons, manure spreaders, dryers, portable grinder-mixers, sprayers, harvesting equipment, workshop equipment, etc.

Step 31. Total gross farm receipts

• Formerly Step 32.
• The suggestion “Account books or completed income tax forms, if available, are useful in completing this page” has been added.

Step 32. Operating expenses

• Formerly Step 31.
• The suggestion “Account books or completed income tax forms, if available, are useful in completing this page” was removed.
• Examples used to clarify “all other farm business operating expenses” now include “farm and crop insurance premiums.”
• The question “what percentage of feed, supplements and hay purchases was purchased from feed mills, feed dealers, or other wholesalers and retailers of feed” has been removed.

Step 33. Paid work

• This step was completely modified.
• Respondents should now report the number of employees employed on a year-round basis (either full-time or part-time) or on a seasonal or temporary basis. And, as in 2006 but in a different format, the total number of weeks or total number of hours of paid work for all employees should also be reported.
• The instruction “do not include custom or contract workers” was added.

Step 34. Computer use

• This step was completely modified.
• Examples of computer use (bookkeeping, record keeping, banking, Internet, etc.) are provided rather than asking the respondent to select the applications used.
• In question 197 respondents are asked if the Internet is used for the farm business, with examples “marketing, checking weather or prices, etc.” provided as a guide.
• Question 198 asks if the operation has high-speed Internet access.

Step 35. Organic products

• Formerly Step 5.
• Now specifies “ORGANIC” products for sale rather than “certified or non-certified” ORGANIC products for sale.
• In question 199 the status option “transitional” was clarified by adding, “in the process of becoming certified.” The “organic but not certified” status was removed.
• In question 201, the option to report “organic but not certified” products for sale was removed. “Herbs, spices or garlic” was added as a stand-alone option, and the example of “herbs” was removed from the “other—specify” box.

Back page

• The first paragraph on the back page was modified. It is now called “Purpose of the Census of Agriculture” and reads:
• • “The Census of Agriculture provides the only comprehensive and integrated profile of the physical, economic, social and environmental aspects of Canada's agriculture industry. It is conducted every five years. Your answers are combined with those of other Canadian farmers to track trends, provide insight and measure the health of this vital industry. For instance:

• Census information on livestock counts, crop area and types of crops planted give a historical picture of the changes in Canadian agriculture over time.
• The census collects information on minimum and no-till seeding, organic products, new crops or livestock and other innovations in agriculture.
• It tracks partnerships and corporations, computer use and major farm expenses to paint a statistical picture of the business of farming.”

• A new question, “Why not use tax data instead of asking financial questions?” was added with the answer, “Currently, it is necessary for respondents to provide business financial information for their agricultural operation on the Census of Agriculture questionnaire. However, Statistics Canada will use information provided on this form to study the feasibility of replacing the detailed operating expenses in STEP 32 by tax data. If successful, Statistics Canada will use tax data in the 2016 Census of Agriculture to reduce the response burden for farmers.”