Stats Canada publishes 2026 Census of Agriculture questions

Participation is required under the authority of the Statistics Act

Canadian farmers wanting to prepare for next year’s Census of Agriculture can do so.

Statistics Canada has published the questions it will be asking in the 2026 ag questionnaire.

“The data are needed to make informed decisions about business risk management strategies, agricultural policies, programs and services that directly affect farmers and rural communities,” Stats Canada says.

Statistics Canada is also making changes to the ag census that it says reflect the current ag industry.

In the Technologies question, for example, livestock producers using an electronic feed monitoring system can identify that specifically.

Farmers will also be asked to report specific acreages of land practices including in-field winter grazing or feeding, rotational grazing, turning in green crops, and planting fall or winter cover crops.

Stats Canada also amended the bioenergy question.

The question “now includes two categories—biomass combustion and biofuel and biogas—to respond to respondent feedback and gain further insight on renewable energy production,” Stats Canada says.

Statistics Canada expects the results of the 2026 Census of Agriculture to be available in May 2027.

Stats Canada released its previous batch of Canadian ag data in May 2022.

That data from the 2021 Census of Agriculture showed a 1.9 per cent decline in the number of farms in Canada – from 193,492 in 2016 to 189,875 in 2021.