Canadian farmers have embraced computer technology in a big way during
the past five years, Statistics Canada has reported.
The census of agriculture indicated that slightly less than 40 percent
of Canadian farmers, or more than 97,000 farms, reported having and
using computers for bookkeeping, record keeping and communications in
2001. That is more than double the 21 percent of farmers using
computers in 1996, or a 40,000 farmer increase, according to the census
results published in mid-May.
At the George Morris Centre, an agricultural think-tank in Guelph,
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Mussell said the move to computers is more impressive than Statistics
Canada numbers suggest.
StatsCan’s definition of a farmer includes anyone who grows food
intending to sell it. But Mussell said there is a parallel between the
number of farmers reporting more than $100,000 in gross receipts and
the number of computers in use.
“My guess is that virtually all farmers large enough to be considered
commercial would be using computers,” Mussell said.
“In this day and age, most small businesses that are commercially
viable are using computers to transfer financials, write proposals,
keep records or what have you. I suspect the farming business is part
of that.”
His assessment was supported by an Ipsos Reid survey commissioned by
Farm Credit Canada last year that found two thirds of commercial
farmers surveyed said they used a computer in their business.
The StatsCan agriculture survey said that on the Prairies, 36 percent
of Manitoba’s 21,000 farmers used a computer last year. In
Saskatchewan, 35 percent of its 50,600 farmers said they had a computer
and in Alberta, it was 40 percent.
Meanwhile, American farmers were given an incentive last week to buy a
computer and get on-line.
U.S. agriculture secretary Ann Veneman said her department has launched
a pilot project in counties spread through 21 states that allows
farmers to apply for farm bill subsidies on the internet.
She said it would eliminate the need for farmers to travel to U.S.
Department of Agriculture offices to fill out paperwork for loan
deficiency payments. They will be able to do it from home when it is
convenient and the result should be that the subsidy money gets to
farmers faster.
“We are finding that more and more of our producers are using the
internet,” Veneman said in a statement. “This enables us to provide
faster, more efficient and accurate services to the nation’s farmers.”
