MarketsFarm — Early signs point to increased Canadian feed grain production in 2023-24, with record corn acreage intentions and increases in both barley and wheat area on the year, according to the latest estimates from Statistics Canada.
Planted corn area in the country is forecast at 3.725 million acres in 2023, which would be up by about 100,000 from the previous year. While much of the country’s corn crop is grown in Eastern Canada, Manitoba farmers are forecast to plant the most within the Prairie provinces at 461,600 acres. That would be up by 22 per cent on the year.
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Canadian barley area is forecast to rise by 0.6 per cent, at 7.085 million acres. Meanwhile, early indications point to the largest wheat acreage base in more than 20 years, at 26.968 million acres.
However, after a year of excessive supplies that saw more oats than usual finding their way into feed rations, oats are the one grain crop expected to see reduced acres. StatCan forecast the country’s oats plantings at 3.056 million acres — a 22 per cent drop on the year.
With the survey conducted much earlier than normal, due to a new StatCan procedure, actual area may differ from the intentions report by more than normal. MarketsFarm analyst Mike Jubinville expects actual barley seedings may end up as large as 7.5 million acres, while oats could dip below three million.
New-crop feed barley bids currently top out at $6.75 per bushel in Alberta, which would be well off the spot market still seeing high-end bids over $9 per bushel, according to Prairie Ag Hotwire data.
— Phil Franz-Warkentin is an associate editor/analyst with MarketsFarm in Winnipeg.
