Quality of Canadian Soybean, oilseed-type 2017

Weather review

In Ontario, a wet spring followed by a relatively cool summer resulted in challenging planting conditions, reduced stands and slow growth, according to the Ontario Crop Report (OMAFRA). Some regions started the season with wet conditions but turned dry in August and September. In spite of these challenges overall yields turned out close to average while conditions did influence quality factors, such as protein.

Favourable weather and good field conditions in Manitoba and Saskatchewan allowed seeding operations to start in early May and finish by the end of the month. Timely rains and cool conditions in early June allowed the crop to progress well but iron chlorosis was an issue in some areas. The general lack of moisture during July and August negatively affected the soybean development during the pod filling stage. The negative impact of these conditions included lower than expected yields and lower protein content. Dry conditions during September and October allowed the harvest to progress with few problems; most of the crop was harvested by mid-October.

Source:

• Ontario crop report
• Manitoba crop report
• Saskatchewan crop report
• Saskatchewan specialty crop report
• Canada weather maps

Production and grade information

Seeded area and production data for 2017 and 2016 are in Table 2. In 2017, the seeded soybean area in western Canada increased by 67% and in central Canada 13%. Since 2007, soybean production in Canada has been steadily increasing (Figure 2). This year’s production increased by over 17% compared to last year; from 6.55 million tonnes to 7.72 million tonnes. The biggest increase in production was in western Canada 38% followed by central Canada at 9%. The production increase was primarily due to an increase in the seeded area since the average yield in Canada decreased from 3,000 kg/ha in 2016 to 2,800 kg/ha in 2017. Central Canada accounts for 63.6% of Canada’s total production while western Canada is at 35.3%.

Figure 2. Historic soybean production data in Canada, 2000 to 2017

• Details

  Historic soybean production data in Canada, 2000 to 2017

  Year	Canada	Prince Edward Island	Nova Scotia	New Brunswick	Quebec	Ontario	Manitoba	Saskatchewan
  2000	2,703,000	4,700	-	-	385,000	2,313,300	-	-;
  2001	1,635,200	4,400	-	-	315,000	1,279,100	36,700	-
  2002	2,335,700	6,700	-	-	315,000	1,905,100	108,900	-
  2003	2,273,300	5,400	-	-	390,000	1,728,200	149,700	-
  2004	3,043,900	6,500	-	-	520,000	2,476,600	40,800	-
  2005	3,155,600	9,300	-	-	505,000	2,585,500	55,800	-
  2006	3,465,500	11,100	-	-	535,000	2,667,100	252,300	-
  2007	2,686,200	11,100	-	-	472,000	2,000,300	202,800	-
  2008	3,335,900	17,100	-	-	600,000	2,476,000	242,200	-
  2009	3,581,600	36,200	-	-	530,000	2,694,300	321,100	-
  2010	4,444,600	40,700	6,600	9,100	823,000	3,129,800	435,400	-
  2011	4,466,500	45,400	9,300	8,400	800,000	3,189,700	413,700	-
  2012	5,086,400	51,400	10,600	9,300	843,000	3,401,900	770,200	-
  2013	5,358,900	61,500	12,000	13,200	847,000	3,238,600	1,068,200	118,400
  2014	6,048,600	60,100	14,800	13,600	898,000	3,791,100	1,107,700	163,300
  2015	6,459,100	47,200	12,800	12,200	1,088,100	3,728,500	1,390,700	179,600
  2016	6,552,100	49,000	12,800	14,700	1,129,400	3,374,700	1,769,000	202,500
  2017	7,716,600	49,000	15,500	16,200	1,115,000	3,796,600	2,245,300	479,000