More Canadian wheat acres, less canola in 2022: StatCan

Canadian farmers intend to plant more wheat and less canola in 2022, according to the first survey-based estimates from Statistics Canada for the upcoming crop year released April 26.

Canola area is forecast at 20.9 million acres by the government agency, which would be down by seven per cent from the previous year and at the lower end of trade expectations. The decline in canola area comes despite high prices and strong global demand, with the drought in 2021 also said to be influencing seeding decisions.

Ongoing uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic and international geopolitical conflicts was a likely factor in seeding decisions, said Statistics Canada.

“Rising input costs for Canadian farmers, including fertilizer and fuel, may also contribute to seeding decisions,” it said.

Total wheat area in the country is forecast to rise by 7.2 percent on the year, to 25.0 million acres. Of that total, spring wheat area is forecast to increase by seven percent at 17.6 million acres, while durum is forecast to be up by 12.5 percent at 6.2 million. Meanwhile, winter wheat plantings were thought to be down by 13 percent at 1.2 million acres.

“An anticipated increase in area for wheat is likely attributable to strong prices and high worldwide demand,” said Statistics Canada.

In the other grains, corn and oats are both expected to see increased planted area on the year, with corn up 6.4 percent at 3.7 million acres, and oats up 16.6 percent at four million acres. Barley area is expected to be down by 9.7 percent at 7.5 million acres.

Canadian soybean area is forecast at 5.4 million acres, which would be up by 0.7 percent from the previous year.

For the pulses, lentil area is forecast to increase 4.5 million acres, which would be up by 4.2 percent from 2021. Peas, meanwhile, are forecast to be down by seven percent at 3.6 million acres.

A cool and wet spring in the eastern Prairies is expected to delay seeding in the area, which may lead to adjustments in the final planted area. Statistics Canada is scheduled to release updated acreage estimates on July 5.

Tags: plant, Statistics Canada, canola, soybean, peas, Canada, wheat, forecast, pulses, lentil