Canada to seed more wheat, less canola in 2025: StatCan

Glacier FarmMedia | MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers intend to plant more wheat and less canola in 2025, according to the first survey-based estimates for the upcoming growing season from Statistics Canada released March 12. Area seeded to corn, oats and peas is also expected to rise, while soybeans, barley and lentils are forecast to lose acres.

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U.S. wheat sees most notable changes in March S/D report

No change was the central theme to the March supply and demand report from the United States Department of Agriculture issued on March 11. In most categories of the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE), the USDA kept the same data as in its February report.

Wheat

Total wheat area is expected to be up by 2.6 per cent on the year, at 27.475 million tonnes. StatCan cited strong global demand for high quality wheat as one factor behind the anticipated increase in wheat seedings. Of the total, durum area is forecast to hold relatively steady on the year at 6.367 million acres.

Canola

Canola area is forecast to slip by 1.7 per cent, to 21.646 million acres, which would be in line with trade estimates and the five-year average. Lower profitability for canola compared to other cropping options was seen as contributing to the reduced area.

Barley and oats

While Saskatchewan farmers expect to seed 3.7 per cent more barley this spring, area to the crop is expected to fall in Manitoba and Alberta leaving total Canadian barley acreage of 6.280 million acres down 2.0 per cent from 2024. Meanwhile, total oat plantings across the country are forecast to increase by 2.7 per cent to 2.978 million acres.

Soybeans and corn

Soybean seedings are forecast to dip by 1.3 per cent nationally, to come in at 5.635 million acres, while corn area is expected to increase by 3.2 per cent, to 3.769 million acres.

Ontario is the largest producer of both crops, with soybean area in the province forecast to decline by 7.8 per cent at 2.876 million acres. Ontario corn seedings are expected to increase by 5.0 per cent at 2.266 million acres. 

Pulses

The early survey results point to a 9.5 per cent increase in Canadian pea acres in 2025, at 3.517 million acres. Meanwhile, lentil area is expected to dip by 0.8 per cent at 4.175 million acres.