The following was submitted by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) on behalf of director Mark Reusser.
For Ontario farmers, the arrival of the Census of Agriculture questionnaire this month comes during one of the busiest seasons of the year.
Spring planting is slowly getting underway, weather windows are tight, and there never seem to be enough hours in the day this time of year.
Like many farmers, when I opened my census package, I certainly understood why some people might be tempted to put it aside for later.
But despite the busy timing, the Census of Agriculture is something farmers should take seriously because the information it collects plays an important role in shaping the future of our industry.
Governments have always needed reliable information about land, food production, and the people working the land. Versions of censuses date back about 6,000 years to ancient Babylonia; in Canada the first census was conducted in 1666 in what was then New France.
Today, the census remains an important tool because it provides a snapshot of Canadian agriculture at a specific moment in time. It helps show what farming looks like today — how farms operate, what we produce, who is farming, and how agriculture is changing.
But perhaps even more importantly, it helps reveal long-term trends.
Those trends matter because they help governments, farm organizations, researchers, policymakers and others understand where agriculture is headed and where support or action may be needed.
For example, at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, where I serve as a member of the board of directors, we often use the statistic that Ontario is losing an average of 319 acres of farmland every day.
This number is derived from Census data looking at the amount of farmland in production at the time of the Census and comparing that to previous Census periods. While the number itself is important, what really matters is the trend behind it. The Census helps confirm whether farmland loss is accelerating, slowing down, or changing in different regions.
Census data also helps track changes in farm size, demographics, production methods, technology adoption, and the growing role off-farm income plays for many farm families. It helps show that farmers are getting older, that younger farmers are approaching agriculture differently, and that farming continues to evolve rapidly.
The census helps demonstrate the importance of agriculture to local communities, the provincial economy, and the country as a whole.
It also helps governments design programs and policies that better reflect the realities farmers are facing on the ground.
When the OFA advocates for farmers, whether we are discussing agriculture’s contribution to the provincial economy, rural infrastructure needs, business risk management programs, labour challenges, food security, or farmland protection, reliable data strengthens our voice.
That is why it is so important for farmers to complete the census thoughtfully and accurately.
Farming is full of competing priorities this time of year, and paperwork rarely rises to the top of the list.
The Census of Agriculture is scheduled to align with the Census of Population, and co-ordinating the two allows Statistics Canada to streamline information collection and processing, saving taxpayers millions.
And it’s one of the few opportunities farmers have to collectively contribute to a national picture of Canadian agriculture — a picture that influences decisions for years to come.
Based on previous feedback from farmers, Statistics Canada has also made efforts to simplify the process this year by streamlining the questionnaire and reducing the number of questions. The questionnaire is available online or paper copies can be requested, and farmers can review the questions in advance to prepare the information they may need.
The Census of Agriculture must be completed by July 31, and results will start being released in May 2027.
My advice to fellow farmers is simple: take the time to complete it properly and provide information that will genuinely help support your industry. The stronger and more accurate the information is, the stronger the case becomes for agriculture when governments and organizations are making decisions that affect all of us.
The Census of Agriculture helps ensure farming is counted, understood, and recognized.
That is worth the effort.
