Statistics Canada released its third weekly report from the 2016 Census of Agriculture on May 31. The report, Seeding decisions harvest opportunities for Canadian farmers, looks at the variety of Canadian field crops, as well as the country’s increasing total crop field area.

The report shows that Canadian farm operators are growing a wider variety of field crops, due to innovations in crop science, production practices and marketing. On top of that, Canada’s total crop field area has increased 7.0% from 2011 to 92.7 million acres in 2016.

The total farm area in Canada was 158.7 million acres in 2016, with 58.4% of that devoted to field crops that year – up from 54.1% in 2011. 

Expanding Crops

According to the report, the area used for cash crops has increased since the last census. Oilseeds and pulses together, increased by 27.4% since 2011, from 30.1 million acres to 38.3 million acres. This oilseed and pulse increase occurred in every province except Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick from 2011 to 2016.

Canola acreage surpassed spring wheat (excluding durum) in 2011 for the first time in Census of Agriculture history. Canola area increased by 6.4% to 20.6 million acres in 2016, and spring wheat area (excluding durum) declined 7.0% to 15.7 million acres.

22.2% of the total field crop area in Canada in 2016 was devoted to canola, while spring wheat (excluding durum) decreased to 16.9%. The average canola yield has increased from 23.5 bushels per acre in 1981 to 42.3 bushels per acre in 2016.

Increasing Inputs

The report states the movement from hay to cash crops has resulted in an increase in the use of crop inputs. 59.3% of all agricultural operations reported the use of inputs in 2016, an increase from 56.4% in 2011.

All types of inputs reported to the census rose across Canada since 2010. The use of fungicides increased the most at 69.8%. Herbicides were applied to 72.4 million acres in Canada in 2015, increasing by 9.8% since 2010. Commercial fertilizers increased by 14.3% since 2010, and were applied to 70.4 million acres across Canada in 2016. The use of fungicides also grew in 2016: they were applied to 23.1 million acres in 2016, compared to 13.6 million acres in 2011. Insecticide application has grown by 64.9%, increasing from 7.8 million acres in 2010 to 12.8 million acres in 2016.

Click here to read the full report from the 2016 Census of Agriculture.

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