Alberta (Rural Roots Canada) — Canadian farmers are on track to harvest more wheat, canola, corn for grain, barley, and oats in 2025, but soybean growers are facing a tougher season.
Statistics Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada project wheat production will rise nearly two per cent to 36.6 million tonnes nationally, while canola is expected to climb more than four per cent to 20 million tonnes. But soybean production is expected to drop 5.7 per cent to 7.1 million tonnes.
Strong Alberta numbers
Wheat production in the province is projected to surge 12 per cent to 11.1 million tonnes, a significant jump driven by better yields and more harvested acres.
The yields are particularly strong in central Alberta, where adequate precipitation made a difference. Canola production there is expected to rise 2.8 per cent to 5.8 million tonnes, while barley is up by the same margin to 4.3 million tonnes.
Regional differences
Satellite imagery tracking plant health across the country shows why some regions thrived while others struggled.
In Western Canada, areas that received enough precipitation and warm temperatures saw crop conditions rated much higher than normal by late August. In Eastern Canada, dry conditions and heat throughout the growing season left crops in the same or worse condition than usual.
READ MORE: Hail Continues to Damage Crops During Harvest
Prairie Provinces
Saskatchewan’s wheat farmers are seeing a slight dip, with production expected to fall 2.6 per cent to 16.7 million tonnes. The province’s canola production is expected to rise 6.8 per cent to 11.2 million tonnes.
Manitoba is on track for record corn production of 1.9 million tonnes, up more than 10 per cent as farmers planted significantly more acres. The province’s wheat crop, however, is expected to decline 5.7 per cent due to lower yields.
Eastern Challenges
Ontario’s wheat production is projected to rise nearly 12 per cent to 2.9 million tonnes, largely due to more acres planted. However, soybean growers in the province face an 8.8 per cent drop to four million tonnes.
The projections rely on satellite technology and agroclimatic data, such as weather and growing conditions, that Statistics Canada has used since 2016 to provide more accurate crop predictions.
