Statistics Canada released their July 2022 model-based principal field crop production estimates and it appears that lots of crops are thriving after a down year in 2021 mostly due to drought conditions. A few of the highlights from the estimates are below.
Canola:
Across the country, canola production is expected to increase by 41.7% to 19.5 million tonnes thanks to improved growing conditions on the prairies combined with higher yields than in 2021.
In Manitoba, a 31.5% increase in yields to 43 bushels an acre is expected which will help mitigate an anticipated 3.8% drop in harvested area to 3.3 million acres. Overall, 3.2 million tonnes of wheat are expected to come from the province which means an increase of 26.5% from last year.
Soybeans:
Soybean production in Canada is expected to rise by 1.8% to 6.4 million tonnes with yields of around 45.3 bushels an acre.
For Manitoba, soybean production is forecast to go up by 13.6% to 1.1 million tonnes. Similarily to canola, harvested area for soybeans is expected to go down but will be helped by a 32.5% increase in yields to approximately 35.9 bushels an acre. An improvement in moisture conditions for soybeans is noted as the main reason for the increase in numbers.
Wheat:
Nationally, a 55.1% increase in wheat production to 34.6 million tonnes is expected. This is due to higher than anticipated yields of 51.1 bushels an acre and a large increase in harvested area to 24.9 million acres. Those represent a 41.6% and 9.4% increase, respectively.
Harvested area for wheat in Manitoba is expected to go up to 3.2 million acres while yields are anticipated to grow by 20.5% to 57.7 bu/a. Total wheat production for the province is to rise by 34.2% to 5 million tonnes.
One of the main factors in the crop numbers going up from last year is higher-than-average precipitation in the prairie provinces combined with moderate temperatures. This resulted in much better growing conditions than in 2021 which was characterized largely by drought. Crop conditions in Manitoba have also been much better than in 2021.
Barley and Oat:
Higher yields for barley are expected with an increase of 57.7% from last year which will offset a 14.8% decrease in harvested area to 6.3 million acres. Production is expected to rise by 34.3% to 9.3 million tonnes this year. Oat production is forecasted to see a rise of 59.2% to 4.5 million tonnes. As well, harvested area is to go up by 10.6% to 3.2 million acres and yields are expected to be around 90.2 bushels an acre, representing an increase of 44.1%.
According to the estimates, the only crops to see a decrease in production from 2021 to 2022 are Winter Wheat (-15.7%) and Fall Rye (-4%).
