STAT Communications Ag Market News

Seeding Intentions A Bullish Surprise

PANAMA - Apr 21/17 - SNS -- Canadian farmers intend to reduce land in pulses more than initially expected, suggesting total production could drop 15% to 77.13 million metric tons (MT) if yields are at their recent five year average.

By contrast, Canadian soybean production could jump dramatically from 6.46 to almost 8.1 million MT if farmers follow through on their intention to boost area from 5.47 to a record 6.96 million acres.

The biggest percentage gain is in Saskatchewan where area is expected to leap 240,000 to 730,000 acres. Given where soybeans are sown in that province, it seems likely that some land was diverted from lentils in an effort to combat aphanomyces. Soybeans, fababeans, and chickpeas have good resistance to disease, while peas, lentils and alfalfa are highly susceptible.

Manitoba is showing the largest expected increase in acreage terms, with farmers intending to plant 2.2 million acres, another potential record high for this province. Ontario farmers anticipate seeding 3.0 million acres, a rise of 11.4% over 2016, while Quebec's acreage is expected to grow to a possible record high of 926,600 acres, up 15.4% over 2016.

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