OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA — Statistics Canada on Aug. 31 in its Production of Principal Field Crops, July 2020, report, said Canadian farmers were expected to harvest more wheat and oats this fall compared with 2019 but less canola.

Statistics Canada forecast Canadian all-wheat production this year at 35.74 million tonnes, up 11% from the 2019 outturn at 32.35 million tonnes. The wheat crop would be the second largest harvested in Canada. The record wheat outturn was 37.59 million tonnes in 2013. The recent five-year average all-wheat production was 30.9 million tonnes.

Statistics Canada said the production increase from 2019 was tied to higher anticipated yields, up 8% to 53.8 bushels per acre, and a larger harvested area, up 2.3% from 2019 to 24.4 million acres.

“The projected increase in wheat area is largely attributable to durum wheat and winter wheat area remaining after winterkill, which offset the decrease in spring wheat area,” Statistics Canada observed. “Higher yields for all types of wheat nationally are also expected to contribute to the production increase.”

Statistics Canada forecast Canadian spring wheat production at 25.94 million tonnes, up 1% from 25.67 million tonnes in 2019. The recent five-year average spring wheat production was 22.6 million tonnes.

The Canadian durum crop was forecast at 6.93 million tonnes, up 39% from 4.98 million tonnes and second in size only to the record 7.76 million tonnes in 2016. The recent five-year average Canadian durum outturn was 5.8 million tonnes.

Statistics Canada estimated Canada’s winter wheat crop at 2.8 million tonnes, up 69% from 1.7 million in 2019. The recent five-year average winter wheat production was 2.6 million tonnes.

Canadian oat production was forecast at 4.5 million tonnes, up 6% from 4.24 million tonnes in 2019. The recent five-year average oat outturn was 3.6 million tonnes. Harvested area was estimated to have expanded 6% from 2019 to 3.1 million acres, but yields were expected to edge down 0.2% year over year to 94.8 bushels per acre.

Statistics Canada estimated the canola crop at 19.4 million tonnes, down 74,000 tonnes from 2019 and compared with 19.9 million tonnes as the recent five-year average production. Higher expected yields, up 1.2% from 2019 to 41.6 bushels per acre, were expected to be offset by a smaller harvested area, down 1.6% from 2019 to 20.6 million acres.

The Canadian soybean crop was estimated at 5.96 million tonnes, down 1% from 6.05 million tonnes in 2019. It would be the smallest Canadian soybean crop since 5.36 million tonnes in 2013. The recent five-year average soybean outturn was 6.8 million tonnes. Harvested area was estimated at 4.9 million acres, down 12.5% from 2019, and the average yield was forecast at 44.6 bushels per acre, down 12.6%.