Canadian Farmers To Slash Summerfallow
OTTAWA - Apr 23/15 - SNS -- Canadian farmers will slash summerfallow to its lowest level as they boost land into grains, according to Statistics Canada's seeding intentions estimates for 2015.
Based on a survey of 11,500 farmers across the country between March 18 to March 31, Statistics Canada discovered they intend to plant more wheat, oats and barley this year; while reducing land in pulses and special crops, canola and soybean.
In the process, farmers intend to slash land in summerfallow from almost 4.6 million acres last year to a record low 2.72 million. To bring this into perspective, summerfallow during the 1980s averaged around 20 million acres per year.
Nationally, farmers reported that they expect to plant 24.8 million acres in 2015, an increase of 3.9% over 2014. Specifically, seeding intentions for spring wheat indicate a 3.4% gain to 18.0 million acres, while durum wheat acreage is expected to reach 5.5 million acres, up 15.8% from 2014.
In Saskatchewan, intentions show spring wheat acreage decreasing 4.8% from 2014 to 8.1 million acres in 2015. However, durum wheat acreage is expected to rise 15.5% to 4.9 million acres.
Farmers in Alberta reported the area for spring wheat should grow by 6.6% to 6.4 million acres in 2015. Durum wheat area is expected to rise by 18.2% to 650,000 acres. Manitoba farmers anticipate seeding 3.1 million acres of spring wheat, up 20.8% from 2014.
Less Canola and Soybean
Canadian farmers reported they intend to seed 19.4 million acres of canola in 2015, down 4.5% from 2014.
Saskatchewan, historically accounting for approximately half of the canola acreage in Canada, reported a 4.2% decrease compared with 2014 to 10.2 million acres. Alberta farmers also said they planned to seed fewer acres of canola, reporting a 7.7% decline to 6.0 million acres for 2015. Manitoba farmers, however, look to seed 3.1 million acres in 2015, edging up 1.7% over 2014.
The total area to be planted with soybeans is expected to decrease to 5.4 million acres in 2015, down 3.4% from the 2014 record level of 5.6 million acres.
Producers in Ontario intend to seed 2.9 million acres, a decline of 6.5%. Quebec farmers also expect a decrease in area to be seeded to soybeans, down 9.5% to 778,400 acres. Meanwhile, farmers in Manitoba (up 2.4% to 1.3 million acres) and Saskatchewan (up 24.1% to 335,000 acres) anticipate seeding more soybeans. All four provinces sowed record acreages in 2014.
More Coarse Grains
At the national level, barley seeded area is expected to rise 10.2% from 2014 to 6.5 million acres, while the area seeded with oats is expected to rise 30.3% to 3.6 million acres in 2015. Together, these two crops are expected to account for close to 1.5 million additional acres compared with 2014.
Nationally, the corn for grain seeded area is expected to increase 6.2% in 2015 to 3.3 million acres. Ontario farmers anticipate planting 2.1 million acres, up 11.5% from 2014. In Quebec, corn for grain area is expected to rise 8.6% to 952,600 acres.
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