Census farm

Definition

Census farm refers to a farm, ranch or other agricultural operation that produces at least one of the following products intended for sale: crops, livestock, poultry, animal products, greenhouse or nursery products, Christmas trees, mushrooms, sod, honey or bees, and maple syrup products. Also included are feedlots, greenhouses, mushroom houses and nurseries; farms producing Christmas trees, fur, game (animals and birds), sod, maple syrup, or fruit and berries; beekeeping and poultry hatchery operations; operations with alternative livestock (bison, deer, elk, llamas, alpacas, wild boars, etc.) or alternative poultry (ostriches, emus, etc.), when the animal or derived products are intended for sale; backyard gardens if agricultural products are intended for sale; and operations involved in boarding horses, riding stables, and stables for housing or training horses, even if no agricultural products are sold. Sales in the previous 12 months are not required, but there must be the intention to sell.

For Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories only, the definition also includes operations involved in the following:

- herding wild animals (such as caribou and muskox)
- breeding sled dogs
- horse outfitting and rigging
- harvesting indigenous plants and berries.

Relation to previous version

• Census farm May 10, 2017 to current

  For the 1981 and 1986 censuses, a census farm was defined as a farm, ranch or other agricultural holding with sales of agricultural products of $250 or more during the previous 12 months. Agricultural holdings with anticipated sales of $250 or more were also included.
  
  For the 1976 Census, a census farm was defined as a farm, ranch or other agricultural holding of one acre or more with sales of agricultural products of $1,200 or more during the year 1975. The basic unit for which a questionnaire was collected was termed 'agricultural holding.' This term was defined as a farm, ranch or other agricultural holding of one acre or more with sales of agricultural products of $50 or more during the 12-month period prior to the Census Day.
  
  Prior to the 1976 Census, a census farm was defined as a farm, ranch or other agricultural holding of one acre or more with sales of agricultural products of $50 or more during the 12-month period prior to the Census Day.