Why is the Census of Agriculture taken in May, such a busy time for farmers?
In this particularly busy and stressful period the arrival of the 2006 Census of Agriculture questionnaire in May might seem ill-timed. But in working with the Census of Population, the Census of Agriculture is afforded an opportunity to save millions of taxpayers’ dollars by sharing the same enumerators, processing centre and other aspects of collection. The timing of the larger Census of Population is driven by the need to maximize the number of Canadians who are home during enumeration. During the winter our retired “snowbirds” migrate south, and the moment school lets out many Canadian families with school children go on vacation. These factors have led the Census of Population to decide that May 16 will be Census Day. While it may take farm operators away from their work, filling in the questionnaire yields its own benefits. Producer groups and marketing agencies use census data to tell Canadians and governments about their economic health, which can influence agricultural policie
