US Canola Production Estimated at New Record High

Nov 06, 2024

The US quietly put together a record canola crop in 2024 – and there may be more upside ahead.

In its first official estimate of this year’s crop, the USDA last month pegged American canola production at 2.234 million tonnes, up 14% from the 2023 crop of 1.885 million, which was also the previous high. Much of the increase was due to a 14% increase in planted area to 2.76 million acres – with harvested area up 13% to a new record of 2.72 million - although the estimated average yield, at 36.2 bu/acre, was up almost a half bushel from a year ago as well.

Barry Coleman, Executive Director Northern Canola Growers Association in Bismarck, ND, said he believes strong prices and demand for canola oil from the renewable diesel industry helped to bolster US canola planted area in the spring.

According to Coleman, rotational constraints are likely to limit any further expansion of canola acres in the northeast part of the No. 1 production state of North Dakota but added that other areas still have plenty of capacity. In fact, he estimated that North Dakota canola acres could eventually top out at around 3 million to 3.5 million acres, before rotation concerns would become as issue. There is also additional expansion potential in the smaller production states as well, including Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Idaho.

Further, Coleman said the US winter canola potential – which is typically grown on the US southern Plains and in the Pacific Northwest is likely over 1 million acres. For the 2024 harvest, combined Kansas and Oklahoma canola planted area amounted to around 30,000 acres, versus just 4,500 the previous year. In Washington, state growers planted an estimated 160,000 acres to canola for harvest this year.

Of course, US canola output still pales in comparison to this year’s nearly 19-million tonne crop in Canada – down about 1% on the year - but the larger American crop does at least help to bolster a world total especially dented by a poor rapeseed crop in the EU.

All told, world rapeseed production for this year is estimated by the USDA at 87.44 million tonnes, a drop of about 2% from 2023-24.

Video: How Can We Grow More Food With Less Impact?

For over two decades, Dr. Mitloehner has been at the forefront of research on how animal agriculture affects our air and our climate. With deep expertise in emissions and volatile organic compounds, his work initially focused on air quality in regions like California’s Central Valley—home to both the nation’s richest agricultural output and some of its poorest air quality.

In recent years, methane has taken center stage in climate discourse—not just scientifically, but politically. Once a topic reserved for technical discussions about manure management and feed efficiency, it has become a flashpoint in debates over sustainability, regulation, and even the legitimacy of livestock farming itself.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Professor and Air Quality Specialist with the CLEAR Center sits down with Associate Director for Communications at the CLEAR Center, Joe Proudman.