Crop yield farmer survey may be ditched in favour of satellite data
Statscan, the national statistical agency, said the satellite data was producing increasingly similar results to its September farmer survey on yields of wheat, canola and other crops, and the change would help meet cost-cutting goals.
“We’ve been comparing (satellite data) over the last couple of years and they’re getting quite close to what we release in September estimates,” said Yves Gilbert, head of Statscan’s field crop reporting unit.
The agency’s Crop Condition Assessment Programme has typically released data on vegetation conditions on a weekly basis late in the growing season.
Axing the September farmer survey would be the latest in a series of changes to how the Canadian government calculates data for the agricultural sector in Canada which is the world’s biggest canola grower and No 6 wheat producer.
It would also save C$50,000 to C$75,000 (€36,000 to €55,000) per year, and relieve farmers of the hassle of dealing with Statscan phone calls during harvest, Gilbert said.
But Derek Squair, whose company Agri-Trend Marketing helps farmers decide when and where to sell their crops, said switching to a less-trusted source of information on supplies will make it harder for farmers to market crops.
— Bloomberg
