Canadian Crop Statistics
24 August 2012
Canada Field Crop Reporting Series - 22 August 2012
Prairie farmers anticipate record canola production in 2012, as well as increases in wheat and barley. At the
national level, production is set to increase for corn for grain and soybeans.Analysis
July 2012 estimates of production of principal field crops
Prairie farmers anticipate record canola production in 2012, as well as increases in wheat and barley. At the national
level, production is set to increase for corn for grain and soybeans.
Overall, weather conditions in the West this year have been closer to normal, following two years of excess moisture
conditions in parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Canola
Prairie farmers anticipate a record 15.2 million tonnes of canola in 2012, surpassing the record of 14.0 million tonnes
set last year.
Farmers in all three Prairie provinces anticipate an increase in canola production, with the potential for records in
Saskatchewan and Alberta.
In Saskatchewan, 7.3 million tonnes are expected to be produced in 2012, up 4.5% from the 2011 record of 7.0
million tonnes of canola. In Alberta, farmers anticipate a record 5.4 million tonnes, a 1.4% increase over the previous
record of 5.3 million tonnes set in 2011.
In Manitoba, farmers reported they expect to produce 2.5 million tonnes of canola in 2012, up 49.7% from 2011.
The yield in Manitoba is expected to increase 12.9% from 27.8 bushels per acre in 2011 to 31.4 bushels per acre in
2012. Manitoba farmers anticipate a harvested area of 3.5 million acres in 2012, exceeding the record of 3.2 million
acres in 2009.
Total wheat
Total wheat production on the Prairies is expected to reach 24.8 million tonnes in 2012, up 9.7% from 22.6 million
tonnes in 2011.
This increase is anticipated despite a decline in average yield from 42.1 bushels per acre in 2011 to 41.5 bushels per
acre in 2102. The decline in yield would be offset by an 11.4%increase in harvested area to slightly under 22.0million
acres.
In Manitoba, wheat production is expected to increase by 1.5 million tonnes (+69.9%) to 3.7 million tonnes, the result
of an improvement in growing conditions from 2011.
In Saskatchewan, farmers anticipate an 8.4% increase in production, while in Alberta, wheat production is set to
decline by 3.5%.
Barley
Barley production on the Prairies is anticipated to rise 23.8% to 9.0 million tonnes in 2012. This is the result of
farmers expecting a record average yield of 65.1 bushels per acre, breaking the previous record of 63.3 bushels per
acre set in 2008, combined with an increased area to be harvested of 6.3 million acres, up 16.9% from 5.4 million
acres in 2011.
Alberta farmers expect a record barley yield of 70.6 bushels per acre, up from the previous record of 67.0 bushels
per acre set in 2011. Production in 2012 is estimated at 5.3 million tonnes, up 17.2% from 4.6 million tonnes in 2011.
In Saskatchewan, barley production is set to rise 21.9% to 3.0 million tonnes.
Soybeans
Nationally, total soybean production in 2012 is anticipated to increase 3.7% to just over 4.4 million tonnes.
In Manitoba, farmers anticipate a record soybean production of 710,300 tonnes in 2012, up 71.7% from 2011. The
previous record of 435,400 tonnes was set in 2010. They are expecting an average yield of 30.7 bushels per acre,
up from 26.7 bushels per acre in 2011.
In the East, farmers in Quebec reported that they expect a record production of 813,000 tonnes in 2012, up
from 800,000 tonnes in 2011 and surpassing the previous record of 807,000 tonnes set in 2010. The new record
would occur despite an anticipated 3.3% decline in harvested area in 2012.
In Ontario, the harvested area is expected to increase to a record 2.6 million acres from 2.4 million acres in 2011.
However, this would be offset by a decrease in average yield from 44.9 bushels per acre in 2011 to 39.4 this year,
therefore resulting in a 4.6% decline in soybean production as compared to 2011, to 2.8 million tonnes.
Corn for grain
Nationally, the production of corn for grain is anticipated to reach just over 11.7 million tonnes, up 9.5% from 2011.
In Quebec, farmers anticipate an 18.6% increase in production to 3.5 million tonnes. This reflects a 4.8% increase
in yield from 132.1 bushels per acre in 2011 to 138.4 bushels per acre in 2012, and an increase in harvested area
from 873,500 acres to 988,400 acres.
Ontario farmers anticipate a 3.2% increase in production of corn for grain to 7.5 million tonnes in 2012. Yield is
expected to decline 9.8% to 136.7 bushels per acre from 151.6 bushels per acre in 2011, but harvested area is
expected to increase 14.4% to 2.2 million acres.
In Manitoba, the production of corn for grain is set to increase from 414,000 tonnes in 2011 to 688,400 tonnes in
2012. Manitoba farmers anticipate harvesting 290,000 acres in 2012, exceeding the record of 225,000 acres set in
1981.
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