Canada Farmers Plan to Plant More Wheat This Year

By Robb M. Stewart

OTTAWA--Canadian farmers expect to plant more wheat this year, and increase crops of canola and soybeans.

Nationally, farmers forecast planting 26.97 million acres of wheat in 2023, up 6.2% from the year before but below the 8.2% annual increase recorded last year, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.

The spring wheat area is expected to increase 7.5% to 19.39 million acres, durum wheat is expected to edge up 0.9% to 6.06 million acres, while the winter wheat area is anticipated to be boosted 12.7% to 1.52 million acres, the data agency said.

Across Canada's prairie provinces, farmers in Saskatchewan expect plantings of wheat to increase by 7.3%, while in Alberta farmers plan to lift wheat planting by 4.2% and Manitoba farmers anticipate an increase of 3.3% from a year ago.

The area for canola is expected to increase slightly, nudging up 0.9% to 21.6 million acres this year, which Statistics Canada said is roughly in line with the five-year average.

Farmers in Canada anticipate planting 5.51 million acres of soybeans, 4.5% higher than in 2022, the agency said.

The field crop survey collected information from Dec. 12, 2022 to Jan. 14, 2023 on crop plans from about 9.500 farmers. Data on final acreages for 2023 are scheduled to be released Dec. 4.

Write to Robb M. Stewart at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

04-26-23 0900ET