Soybean acres in Manitoba are expected to see an increase over last year when Statistics Canada releases its first acreage estimates of 2011 next Tuesday (April 26).
Roger Kissick, product manager at Linear Grains at Carman, Man., said the wet conditions are favourable to soybeans, and given the cool and wet spring in the province, a significant acreage increase is expected.
“The Red River Valley is a bit of a wild card, because of the flooding, but if everything goes well, we could see as many as 700,000 acres planted in Manitoba, up from about 500,000 in 2010,” Kissick said.
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Producers will be watching the calendar closely, he said, as the crop will need to be planted in a timely fashion. If rain ends up hitting the wet areas of the province, 700,000 acres may not be reached.
“There is a window (in which) soybeans can be planted, and if it gets past that window, it is too risky,” he said. “Usually anything after May 25 is in a precarious position.”
Ron Frost of Frost Consulting in Calgary predicted fewer acres than Kissick did, in part because of the risk of flooding. Frost said he expected to see about 600,000 acres planted in Manitoba.
Another factor favourable to soybean plantings is the rising cost of fertilizer.
Doug Chorney, president of Manitoba general farm group Keystone Agricultural Producers, said the high price of fertilizer could prompt a number of producers in the province to opt to plant soybeans this spring.
“Soybeans require very little, if any fertilizer,” said Chorney, who farms at East Selkirk, Man. “Really only a little bit of phosphate is needed — no nitrogen.”
Strong prices are also persuading producers to plant soybeans.
“It’s still at a profitable level,” Kissick said. “Values that can be locked in would be profitable even with normal yields, so if guys can get above-average production, it could be very lucrative.”
