Statistical concepts
This section provides key statistical concepts for the 3 countries in a table format. Browse the sections below to learn more about the statistical concepts within each country.
Last agricultural census year
Canada
United States
Mexico
2021
2022
2022
Data Collection Period
Canada
United States
Mexico
May to September 2021. Collection started a few weeks earlier for large agricultural operations (LAOS) and special units (SPUN). Timing is made to align with the Census of Population to benefit from collection, communication and other joint infrastructure and systems. Farmers do have the flexibility to answer during the summer even though they are invited to answer as soon as possible.
January-June 2023. The winter/spring season is a good time to reach respondents and they will have books closed out for the previous year.
September-November is the most suitable period for the collection of information for agricultural censuses and surveys, because the spring-summer cycle (the most important) is ending and at the same time the agricultural year is coming to an end. It means that the producers have in their mind the recent activities made in their holdings.
Collection Method
Canada
United States
Mexico
Mainly e-questionnaire, although several modes are accepted. Paper questionnaires have been mailed only to those requesting it via the census help line; Answers provided via equestionnaire were used by 82% of survey respondents in 2021. By comparison, use of e-questionnaire was 55% in 2016. The Census help line is also available for those who want to answer questions by phone. The Census of Agriculture does not send Census enumerators on farms.
Multiple modes are used. Questionnaire were mailed to all respondents. Web reporting was encouraged and about 24% responded via web for 2017. Phone follow-up was done for the largest and unique records. Very limited personal enumeration was done when a census record matched another survey.
Several modalities are used. Approximately 99% of the questionnaires are collected on an electronic questionnaire using a Mobil Computing Device and face-to-face interviews. Less than 1% of the questionnaires are also collected on paper through face-to-face interviews. The collection of questionnaires via internet is only applied for large producers who choose to respond through this option.
Face-to-face interviews with the producer or informant are carried out using two strategies; a sweep (dwelling by dwelling) is applied in localities with less than 15,000 inhabitants, to detect or identify producers or informants who carry out agricultural activities, using an agricultural producer’s directory. In localities with 15,000 inhabitants or more, direct visits are made to the producer’s dwellings to apply the questionnaire, using a directory as a guide.
Crops Reference Period
Canada
United States
Mexico
2021
2022
2021-2022
Crop year (October of the previous year to September of the current year)
Livestock Reference Period
Canada
United States
Mexico
May 11, 2021
December 31, 2022
September 15, 2022.
Release of results
Canada
United States
Mexico
May 11, 2022 for farm and farm operators data. A reference document (user guide) was released on April 14, 2022 and a mapping product based on 2016 data was released on February 22 (Canada’s Agriculture Day). Another release focusing on local and regional results will take place on June 15, 2022. There will be subsequent releases of studies, data and other reference and dissemination tools. Project close out will be in December 2023 but additional releases could happen beyond that date.
Initial release will be in February 2024. Additional products will be released over the rest of the year.
May 30, 2023 will be released the timely data and November 30 the final results will be released.
Farm Definition
Canada
United States
Mexico
Any business operation reporting farm sales in tax records. This is the first time (in 2021) that this definition will be used. To ensure a quality frame, definition has been enlarged to include any tax signal indicating farm activities in a business. A coverage evaluation survey (CES) has been conducted among those who scoped themselves out to make sure that the tax definition captured the right type of business. The change in the definition will allow for linkages with the Agricultural Tax Data Program (ATDP) and other programs.
Any place selling, or would normally sell, $1,000 of agricultural products.
It is the economic unit made up of one or more plots of land located in the same municipality, where at least one of them carries out agricultural or forestry activities, under the administration of the same producer and with the same production elements, such as equipment, machinery, vehicles and labor available for these activities. If the producer has land located in another municipality, it is considered as another production unit; that is, there will be as many production units as there are municipalities occupying their land.
In terms of the size there is not limit to exclude any kind of production unit, nor in terms of the value of the agricultural products for sale.
Totals Adjusted for Nonresponse
Canada
United States
Mexico
Yes
Yes
Yes
Method of adjustment for Item Nonresponse
Canada
United States
Mexico
Value imputed from ‘nearest neighbour’ (donor imputation). A new system will be used for editing and imputation in 2021, called the Integrated Business Statistics Program.
Value imputed from ‘nearest neighbor’.
Value imputed from ‘nearest neighbor’.
Method of adjustment for Unit Nonresponse
Canada
United States
Mexico
Values imputed from ‘nearest neighbour’ (donor imputation). A new system will be used for editing and imputation in 2021, called the Integrated Business Statistics Program. Tax information is used to find the “nearest neighbour”.
Capture Recapture methodology is used to adjust for nonresponse, coverage and misclassification. A logistic regression model is used to model unit nonresponse. Calibration is then run to adjust to administrative totals.
Values imputed from ‘nearest neighbour’ (donor imputation).
Totals Adjusted for Coverage
Canada
United States
Mexico
None
Yes
None
Estimated Percent of Undercoverage
Canada
United States
Mexico
Estimate of undercoverage was 8.1% for number of farms in 2021, 4.3% for total farm area and 1.9% for total sales.
List estimate of undercoverage was 15.1% for number farms in 2017.
Estimate of undercoverage was 3.4% for number production units in 2007.
Method of adjustment for coverage
Canada
United States
Mexico
None
Capture Recapture methodology is used to adjust for nonresponse, coverage and missclassificaiton. A logistic regression model is used ot model undercoverage. Calibration is then run to adjust to administrative totals.
None
Method for Determining NAICS
Canada
United States
Mexico
The NAICS determination process (i.e., assigning a farm type to each farm) is based on signals from respondent or estimated commodity inventories and/or revenues information.
Sales data are summed by NAICS classes for each report, the class with the largest total is assigned to the record.
The production value is summed by NAICS classes and the class with the highest value is selected to assign the production unit type.
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ABOUT NATCAS
Mandate
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History
Contact us
CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS
Program description
Definition of a farm
Statistical concepts
PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION
Agricultural census
Common releases
Remote sensing and GIS
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
DATA AND INDICATORS
Data hubs
Geospatial data tables
SDG Indicators
COLLABORATERS
Statistics Canada (StatCan)
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Agricultural and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP)
National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI)

Disclamer
The information is presented as it is, and Statistics Canada, the National Agricultural Statistics Department of Agriculture of the United States, the Agricultural and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP) and the National Institute of Statics and Geography (INEGI), don’t offer any guarantees, express or implied, including but not limited to guarantees of marketing and adapt to a particular purpose. In any case the above agencies shall not be liable for any direct, special, indirect, consequential or other caused by the use of the information provided.