Analysis

Statistics Canada administers six surveys per year to collect information on intended, seeded and harvested acreages, yields, production and stocks of principal field crops, and publishes these survey estimates in the Field Crop Reporting Series (FCRS). This paper analyses short-term movements in weekly crop prices from the week before the releases of FCRS to the week after the releases. Field crops included in this study are oats, canola, corn, flax, barley and wheat, while specialty crops studied are sunflower seed, canary seed, field peas, lentils, mustard seed, chick peas and green peas. The data for field crops cover a period from 1990 to 2009 and that for specialty crops cover varying periods from 1992 to 2009 based on their availability. The results reveal that the price changes before and after the official releases of FCRS tend to even out over time. The results also suggest that prices after the releases are as likely to increase as they are to decrease. Based on the findings, the study concludes that the publication of statistics in the FCRS has no systematic effect on crop prices. The results are consistent with the findings of the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.

For a majority of farm families and operators in OECD countries, off-farm or non-farm occupations have become a significant source of income and a major determinant of their well-being. This study investigates the use of off-farm employment by the operator as a tool to reduce the variability of the total income of the farm operator. A two-part model is developed to estimate the impact of farm income risk on the decision to participate in the off-farm labour market and the level of off-farm employment income. Longitudinal farm operator level data for about 31,305 Canadian farm operators from 2001 to 2006 are used for this study. The variability of farm gross market revenue is found to positively affect the likelihood of off-farm work and the level of off-farm employment income, in particular for operators of large commercial farms. The ability of a significant number of operators of larger farms to increase their coping capacity through off-farm employment income suggests the presence of substantial interactions between off-farm income and farm income stabilization policies. Consequently, the focus of agricultural policies on risk management and income stabilization reinforces the linkages between rural and agricultural policies. In particular, it appears that policies designed to facilitate access to off-farm work or to enhance off-farm opportunities, such as rural development programs, could contribute to achieve some objectives underlying agricultural income stabilization programs. These results reinforce the need for coherent rural and agricultural policies, and reinforce the argument for place-based policy that augments the opportunities for all residents in a locality, not just those in a specific sector.

The Agriculture Division occasionally publishes working papers on research, analytical results, statistical techniques, methods and concepts.

This article describes dietary intake of sugar in a nationally representative sample of Canadian children and adults. Nutritional information was collected via a 24-hour dietary recall as part of the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)-Nutrition.

This is a Health fact sheet about fruit and vegetable consumption among Canadians. The data are based on a Canadian Community Health Survey question that measured the number of times respondents reported that they consumed fruit and vegetables, rather than the actual quantity consumed.

Data from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey - Nutrition were used to examine the relationships between household food security and self-reported health, well-being and health behaviours in a sample of Aboriginal adults living off reserve.

This is a Health fact sheet about fruit and vegetable consumption among Canadians. The data are based on a Canadian Community Health Survey question that measured the number of times respondents reported that they consumed fruit and vegetables, rather than the actual quantity consumed.

Statistics Canada administers six surveys per year to collect information on intended, seeded and harvested acreages, yields, production and stocks of principal field crops, and publishes these survey estimates in the Field Crop Reporting Series (FCRS). This paper analyses short-term movements in weekly crop prices from the week before the releases of FCRS to the week after the releases. Field crops included in this study are oats, canola, corn, flax, barley and wheat, while specialty crops studied are sunflower seed, canary seed, field peas, lentils, mustard seed, chick peas and green peas. The data for field crops cover a period from 1990 to 2009 and that for specialty crops cover varying periods from 1992 to 2009 based on their availability. The results reveal that the price changes before and after the official releases of FCRS tend to even out over time. The results also suggest that prices after the releases are as likely to increase as they are to decrease. Based on the findings, the study concludes that the publication of statistics in the FCRS has no systematic effect on crop prices. The results are consistent with the findings of the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.

For a majority of farm families and operators in OECD countries, off-farm or non-farm occupations have become a significant source of income and a major determinant of their well-being. This study investigates the use of off-farm employment by the operator as a tool to reduce the variability of the total income of the farm operator. A two-part model is developed to estimate the impact of farm income risk on the decision to participate in the off-farm labour market and the level of off-farm employment income. Longitudinal farm operator level data for about 31,305 Canadian farm operators from 2001 to 2006 are used for this study. The variability of farm gross market revenue is found to positively affect the likelihood of off-farm work and the level of off-farm employment income, in particular for operators of large commercial farms. The ability of a significant number of operators of larger farms to increase their coping capacity through off-farm employment income suggests the presence of substantial interactions between off-farm income and farm income stabilization policies. Consequently, the focus of agricultural policies on risk management and income stabilization reinforces the linkages between rural and agricultural policies. In particular, it appears that policies designed to facilitate access to off-farm work or to enhance off-farm opportunities, such as rural development programs, could contribute to achieve some objectives underlying agricultural income stabilization programs. These results reinforce the need for coherent rural and agricultural policies, and reinforce the argument for place-based policy that augments the opportunities for all residents in a locality, not just those in a specific sector.

This article describes dietary intake of sugar in a nationally representative sample of Canadian children and adults. Nutritional information was collected via a 24-hour dietary recall as part of the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)-Nutrition.

Data from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey - Nutrition were used to examine the relationships between household food security and self-reported health, well-being and health behaviours in a sample of Aboriginal adults living off reserve.

The Agriculture Division occasionally publishes working papers on research, analytical results, statistical techniques, methods and concepts.