Milk Sold Off Farms and Cash Receipts from the Sale of Milk

Detailed information for October 2023

The purpose of this survey is to produce monthly statistics on off-farm sales of milk and cream.

Data release - December 22, 2023

• Description
• Data sources and methodology
• Data accuracy

Description

This survey collects monthly administrative data from provincial milk marketing agencies and provincial departments of agriculture in Canada related to off-farm sales of milk and cream. The data are used by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Dairy Commission, libraries, provincial governments and the dairy farmers of Canada to assist in the development, administration and evaluation of dairy policies. Numerous government and non-government organizations are involved in the administration of the dairy sector and require detailed information particularly because this sector operates within a supply-management framework that manages farm-level production, imports, exports and prices.

Reference period: Month

Collection period: Ten days following the reference period

Subjects

• Agriculture and food (formerly Agriculture)
• Farm financial statistics
• Livestock and aquaculture

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The universe of all Canadian producers of milk and cream and the target population consists of all dairies in Canada that purchase milk or cream from agricultural producers. The data are obtained indirectly through administrative sources.

Instrument design

This methodology does not apply.

Sampling

This survey is a census with a cross-sectional design.

Data sources

Responding to this survey is mandatory.

Data are extracted from administrative files.

In all provinces data are collected by the provincial Departments of Agriculture, provincial Milk Marketing Boards, and the Canadian Dairy Commission. The provincial agencies then forward their monthly provincial summaries to Statistics Canada, to be incorporated in the Canada total.

Data are collected monthly primarily through electronic file transfer system.
Follow-up for non-response and for data validation is conducted by telephone.

Administrative data sources:
Dairy Farmers of Newfoundland and Labrador
Dairy Farmers of Prince Edward Island
Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia
Dairy Farmers of New Brunswick
Dairy Farmers of Ontario
Dairy Farmers of Manitoba
Saskatchewan Milk Marketing Board
Alberta Milk
British Columbia Milk Marketing Board
Institute de la statistique du Québec
Canadian Dairy Commission

Error detection

Data presented in this program are compiled from several administrative sources including provincial and federal government departments and marketing boards. All efforts are taken to minimize non-sampling errors through quality controls in the data collection process and through careful review and analysis of all data for consistency.

Imputation

When non-response occurs, imputation is used to fill in the missing information. Many methods of imputation may be used to complete a questionnaire, including manual changes made by an analyst. The automated statistical techniques used to impute the missing data include: deterministic imputation, replacement using historical data (with a trend calculated, when appropriate), and replacement using data from a similar unit in the sample (known as donor imputation). Usually, key variables are imputed first and are used as anchors in subsequent steps to impute other, related variables.

Estimation

This methodology type does not apply to this statistical program.

Quality evaluation

Prior to the data release, combined survey results are analyzed for comparability; in general, this includes a detailed review of: individual responses (especially for the largest companies), general economic conditions, coherence with results from related economic indicators, historical trends, and information from other external sources (e.g. associations, trade publications, newspaper articles).

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

Revisions and seasonal adjustment

There is no seasonal adjustment. Data from previous years may be revised based on updated information.

Data accuracy

This survey is a census of all units in the observed population and is not subject to sampling error. The response rate is an important indicator of the quality of the estimates and is reported in the response rate section below.