Top of Page 3.13 How does the Census of Agriculture benefit the farmer?
Agricultural operators benefit in a number of ways: They benefit when companies supplying agricultural products and services use the data to determine where to locate their service centres. They also keep abreast of trends in Canadian agriculture through the analysis of Census of Agriculture data published by the agriculture media. Producer groups and marketing agencies use the data to assess the need for policies and programs, to represent their members views to the government and public, and to defend their interests in international trade negotiations. As well, government policy advisors use the data to help develop programs related to safety nets and human resources for the agriculture sector. The Census of Agriculture also provides useful small area data for evaluating how seriously adverse weather conditions affect farm operations across the country. In 2001 a severe drought in much of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island had serious
