StatsCan report puts canola production at lowest since 2015

MarketsFarm — Data from Statistics Canada’s production of principal field crops report, released Friday morning, will likely be supportive of canola values, put pressure on barley, and keep wheat prices steady.

In the report, canola production across Canada decreased by 8.3 per cent nationally to 18.6 million tonnes, compared to 2018 production volumes.

The decreased production was due in part to lowered harvested area. Inclement harvest conditions, including early snow in the Prairies, meant a significant portion of the crop was left out to be harvested in the spring.

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Total harvested canola area fell 8.8 per cent, to 20.6 million acres. Although acreage was lower, yields rose by 0.5 per cent, to 40 bushels per acre.

Production decreased the most in Saskatchewan, where farmers reported a 7.3 per cent drop in production to total just over 10 million tonnes. That drop was attributed mainly to lowered harvested area, which decreased by 7.1 per cent to 11.4 million acres. In Alberta, harvested area fell by nearly 13 per cent to 5.8 million acres, bringing total production down by 9.4 per cent to 5.3 million tonnes. Producers in Manitoba reported canola production down by 7.9 per cent, to 3.1 million tonnes.

Barley production beat out some trade expectations, coming in at over 10 million tonnes for 2019. The increase was due to harvested area — up by 13.9 per cent — and yields, which rose by nearly nine per cent to 70.8 bushels per acre.

Wheat production volumes were in line with expectations, up by 0.5 per cent from 2018 to total 32.3 million tonnes. Decreased harvested area was offset by higher yields, which were up by 2.7 per cent to total 49.8 bushels per acre.

— Marlo Glass reports for MarketsFarm, a Glacier FarmMedia division specializing in grain and commodity market analysis and reporting.

Table: Select numbers from Statistics Canada’s production of field crops report, released Dec. 6, 2019, including pre-report estimates, September 2019’s report and last year’s final production numbers, in millions of metric tonnes.

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