Crop tour finds wheat yield above average; canola slightly below

Aug 23, 2022

Canada’s spring wheat yields will be slightly above average while canola yields will be slightly below normal, according to an early-August crop tour conducted by Argus Media.

The company is forecasting a spring wheat yield of 53.3 bushels per acre, eclipsing the Olympic five-year average of 52.4 bu. per acre.

The canola forecast is 41 bu. per acre, which is slightly below the five-year average of 41.6 bu. That average does not include the drought-ravaged 2021 season.

Two cars were used for the tour. One covered a winding route between Winnipeg and Saskatoon, while the other travelled in a large circle between Saskatoon and Calgary.

Each car covered more than 2,000 kilometres of prairie farmland in five days, representing an estimated 80 percent of the total prairie growing region.

Yield estimates were based on a mix of conversations with farmers and random plot counts.

Maxence Devillers, a grain analyst with Argus Media, said spring wheat yields were above average through most of Alberta but below average in a large portion of western Saskatchewan.

Argus is forecasting 26 million tonnes of spring wheat production and 28.4 million tonnes of spring and winter wheat production.

That would be the third largest non-durum wheat crop in history behind 2013 and 2020.

Argus partnered with LeftField Commodity Research on the tour.

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Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.