The 2021 Census of Agriculture and goat farming in Canada

In May 2021, farm operators will be asked to complete the 2021 Census of Agriculture questionnaire to help update Canada's agricultural profile.

Data from the census will provide farm operators, farm organizations, policy makers, stakeholders and citizens with relevant information about the Canadian agricultural sector, and will help them make informed decisions regarding agricultural investments and practices in Canada.

Stakeholders

The participation of goat farm operators in the Census of Agriculture is an important factor in obtaining new information at the local and national levels.

Accurate statistics give farm operators an understanding of past and present agricultural sector information and allow for well-informed responses to future farming challenges.

Policy makers

The Census of Agriculture is the backbone of Canada's agricultural statistics program. It identifies trends, opportunities and challenges within the agricultural sector. Questions cover topics such as land use, crops, livestock, agricultural labour, machinery and equipment, land management practices, and farm finances. The breadth and depth of the census content makes it the most definitive source of information on the agricultural sector. It provides a rich source of data on the realities of farming life in Canada.

Farm operators

In early May, farm operators will receive a letter with easy-to-follow instructions on how to complete the Census of Agriculture questionnaire online. This user-friendly option will save time by automatically adding totals and limiting the questions to those that apply to the operation. All agricultural operations in Canada are legally required to complete the census questionnaire, according to the Statistics Act. The questionnaire can be completed by anyone who is responsible for, or knowledgeable about, the day-to-day management decisions of the farming operation. The information provided will be kept strictly confidential and will be used only for statistical purposes as mandated by the same act.

This May, complete the Census of Agriculture questionnaire and be heard amongst Canada's goat farmers!

Quick goat farming facts from the 2016 Census of Agriculture

• In 2016, there were 230,034 goats on 5,627 farms in Canada, an increase of 2.0% from 2011.
• Ontario had the largest number of goats (130,219) and represented over 56.6% of the industry. Next was Quebec (35,574 goats and 15.5% of the industry), Alberta (27,955 goats and 12.2% of the industry) and British Columbia (14,508 goats and 6.3% of the industry).
• In Canada, the goat industry can be segmented into three distinct sectors: chevron (meat), dairy (milk) and fibre (mohair and cashmere).
  • View a map of the Total goats by census division (CD), 2016, Canada.
• There were 867 farms specializing in goat farming (the majority of their farm receipts were from goat farming). Here are some facts about these farms:
  • There was a total of 136,876 goats on these specialized farms (59.5% of the total number in Canada).
  • The average herd size of a specialized farm was 158 goats.
  • Among specialized goat farms, 55.8% were held in sole proprietorship, 32.2% were owned in partnerships, 10.7% were owned by family corporations and 1.3% were owned by non-family corporations.
  • There were 1,345 operators across Canada, and 42.7% were female.
  • The average operator age was 49.4 years old.
  • Among operators, 49.7% were 35 to 54 years old, 36.0% were 55 years and older, and 14.3% were younger than 35.
  • Less than half of operators (42.8%) did not work anywhere other than on the farm, while 21.0% worked more than 40 hours per week at another job in addition to their farming duties.

For more information, please visit Statistics Canada—Census of Agriculture.