Statcan fall survey

[Fransisco]

Just got a call from stats canada.

They're doing their November crop survey. After reminding me that it was a legal requirement under the statistics act to answer their questions. I proceeded to give them some low ball answers.

I don't think there are any major repercussions to not answering their questions but if you do how many farmers actually answer honestly?

To a farmer lower statcan numbers are better than higher ones.

[liberty]

I know lots of farmers who give outrageously inaccurate or misleading answers to Stats Can. My neighbor claimed to have grown 300 acres of bananas one year.

I falsify my answers all the time.

[fjlip]

I heard they assume we all do that so their estimates are probably tripled. The result is nothing close to the fact. Best if the market knew nothing but satellites will tell them if we are lying.

[JDGreen]

I never answer their questions. I tell them flatly "to show up with proper ID and I will do their survey. I ask them to phone in advance and make an appointment that is convenient for me but not for them (ie 4:00 PM Friday usually works for me) I have also been told it is a legal requirement blah blah blah. When asked if they could prove that in fact they were who they said they were, they are unable to prove it. I have not received a statscan call in a long time.

[parsley]

Tell them to send it in the mail. You don't hear very well

[dalek]

I tell them I have 100 ostriches on one acre of land. Haven't had one yet that knew enough to question that.

[perfecho]

And previous posts belittle the info that always comes out skewed.......uhmmmm, interesting.

[ColevilleH2S]

Yes Perfecho it is a farmers right ... No, It is a farmers duty, to try to skew, sabotage, and belittle any acreage/production survey published. Whether it be Statscan or anyone else, these numbers are only used to empower the demand side of the market equation.

A blind market is a fearful market, and a fearful market means I receive a higher price for the products I produce. Long live fear! (Don't tell Parsley I said that, 'cause I think I railed against her about spreading fear once or twice)

[mcfarms]

When the first call they make to you is after 9pm or on a sunday afternoon, just doesn't become a priority calling them back, I always offer to tell them the information just as soon as they tell me where I can send my bill for my consulants fee.

[Choice2U]

My father-in-law has a great line. He asks them for their home number. When they ask why, he says so he can call them at their home in the evening after the end of a hard day and impose on their personal time.

[perfecho]

In beef, it is mandated to register birth dates, so all the cards are on the table........face up except for the dealer 8-)

[checking]

For those that own a township of land, get use to being always on the statscan list.

The easiest way to avoid their probes is to indicate that you won't do surveys over the telephone. Please send the form thriugh the mail. Often they will say the survey results can't wait on a mailout. This gives you the opportunity to say, "well, I'm sorry, but I can't help you then."

Rarely, they will send a form, and when they call to ask why it wasn't returned, politely indicate that you would have returned it, but they failed to provide you with stamped envelope.

There is no need to to be nasty with them, afterall they are not Parsleys. (lol)

[Kodiak]

It would be interesting to hear the discussion around Statscan if someone there read this thread. Would they quit wasting their time and ours? If the posts above are any indication of what kind of garbage they get, it's worse than I thought! I don't know what kind of adjustments or tweaking they could possibly do to bring the real picture into focus. I will have any even more skeptical view of their numbers from now on.

[dave4441]

For many crops, they know the exact amount of exports because all goods are reported. Case in point is lentils in 08/09, we sold many more MT then farmers reported, so Stat Can continues to increase the fudge factor and eventually no one will have any idea how many are really around and then grower as well trade will have no idea. Most companies have their own calcs anyways and know when Stat Can puts out a poor #.

[bucket]

I have asked them to send/fax the law that says I have to answer. To date, I have not received that fax or a copy of the law that makes it a legal requirement.

Besides, here is the headline " Farmer jailed in October for failure to answer Statscan while trying to get his crop in"

Yeah that makes for good press.

Here is another great line. Ask them how much money they have in the bank. They say " its none of your business" and I proceed to tell them its none of their business or any of the grain companies they sell the info to, how much grain I have until I want to sell it.