Soy yields held up despite weather

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

From rain to tornadoes, high heat, drought, hail and more rain — there’s no doubt that this year’s weather posed a challenge to Ontario’s grain and oilseed growers. But a report released by Statistics Canada Tuesday shows that the province’s farmers did not fare too badly despite what Mother Nature handed them.

Overall, soybean production was 2,966,500 tonnes, a decline of only 2.7 per cent or 81,600 tonnes from 2010’s record-breaking crop. Yields averaged 44.9 bushels per acre, a 2.4 per cent decrease from last year’s 46 bu/ac average yields.

Both Quebec and Manitoba soybean production saw an increase in the harvested area but a decline in overall production.

Ontario’s grain corn production dropped 508,100 tonnes from 2010 to 7.2 million tonnes, indicates the StatsCan November estimates of production of principal field crops. Quebec’s production dropped 480,000 tonnes from 2010 to 2.9 million tonnes.

Overall, Canada produced 4.246 million tonnes of soybeans in 2011 and 10.689 million tonnes of grain corn.

Meanwhile, prices Canada’s farmers received for their commodities rose more than 12 per cent in September compared to the same month the year before. Leading the livestock price increases for that month were poultry as well as cattle and calves. Specialty crops, oilseeds and potatoes were the top performers in the crops index. BF