Cereals Canada recently released their 2024 Canadian Wheat Crop Progress and Harvest Assessment Update.
Harvest operations are still underway in many areas of the Prairies.
Stats Canada surveyed farmers in June with estimates showing Canadian farmers planted over 8.2 million hectares of non durum wheat this year, a 3% decrease from last year, while durum acreage showed a 5 per cent increase to nearly 2.6 million acres.
Non-durum wheat is grown across the country in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, and in southern Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.
Durum wheat is grown in southeast Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan.
Data shows that on average, 90 per cent of the non durum wheat we grow is spring wheat, with eastern Canada specializing in the production of soft winter wheat.
Market and Trade Specialist Matilda van Aggelen was part of a webinar last week updating crop progress throughout the growing season for our international customers.
She says during the spring most farmers experienced above-average rainfall in most areas of Western Canada with some regions receiving more than twice the average amount of precipitation.
"Many farmers welcomed the rain, because it led to an improvement in soil moisture levels, especially after a few dry years. This precipitation was most impactful in southern Alberta in southwestern Saskatchewan, which had been the driest parts of the growing region."
She noted that in some areas of the prairies, farmers saw higher temperatures and drier weather through the summer which helped advance crop development.
"The growing season started out with above-average precipitation. However, as the year progressed, the southern growing regions received lower than average rainfall, which limited yield potential."
Cereals Canada's Technical Specialist Lindsey Boyd co-ordinates the harvest assessment program, during a recent webinar she talked about the preliminary information they are gathering from discussions with exporters.
"For CWRS, we are hearing the crop has good quality within its expected wheat protein content range between 13.5 and 14.5 per cent on a 13.5 per cent moisture basis. The possible downgrading factors this year may include test weight and hard vitreous kernels or HVK. There have been some very localized incidents of fusarium in Manitoba this year, but it is not expected to be a major downgrading factor. This year for CWAD, the expected wheat protein content range is between 14.5 and 15.5 per cent on a 13.5 per cent moisture basis. The possible downgrading factors this year may include test weight and HVK. For CPSR, the expected wheat protein content range is between 12.5 and 13.5 per cent on a 13.5 per cent moisture basis. So far we have heard the crop is of good quality and the possible downgrading factors this year may include test weight."
Boyd says over the next eight weeks they will be receiving wheat samples from across Western Canada and evaluating this years crop for milling properties, flour and semolina quality, and end product quality.
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