Quality of Canadian oilseed-type soybeans 2021

Weather

Eastern and western provinces experienced extreme weather conditions during the 2021 growing season. Soybeans are typically seeded in early May in eastern Canada and from the last week of May to the first week of June in western Canada.

In Ontario, most of the soybeans were planted by mid-May. Lack of soil moisture during planting was the main concern. Freezing temperatures in late May caused frost damage to the emerging crop. Excess rain in July caused flooded fields which turned some of the crop yellow due to the inaccessibility of nitrogen. Harvest started out well and most producers were able to remove their crop by early October.

Manitoba and Saskatchewan experienced extreme drought during the 2021 growing season. In Manitoba, seeding started earlier than usual due to lack of snow and dry soils. Most of the seeding began in early to mid April. Some of the emerging crop experienced frost damage in late May. During most of June and July there was little to no precipitation. Rain in August did benefit the soybean crop yields. Most of the harvest was completed by mid October. In Saskatchewan, most of the soybeans were seeded by the last week of May. Lack of topsoil moisture and strong winds were the main causes for concern. Prolonged heat and limited precipitation for much of June and July impacted the quality and yields of many crops. Harvest started early in 2021, with most of the crops in bins by early October.

Sources

• Province of Manitoba | agriculture - Seasonal Reports (gov.mb.ca)
• Crop Report | Crops Statistics | Government of Saskatchewan
• Crop Reports | Field Crop News

Production and grade information

Seeded area and production data for 2021 and 2020 are presented in Table 2. In 2021, seeded soybean areas increased to 2,148,700 hectares (ha) from 2,046,800 ha in 2020.

Canada’s overall soybean production increased steadily from 2007 to 2018 due to increased production in Ontario and Manitoba. Production in the west has decreased in recent years, however, due mainly to poor weather conditions and uncertainty in the market.

In 2021, soybean production in Canada increased approximately 5% compared to 2020 (Table 2). Approximately 82.9% of Canadian soybeans were produced in eastern Canada, 16.2% in western Canada and 0.9% in the Maritimes. The average yield in Canada decreased in 2021 to 2,940 kilograms per hectare (kg/ha) from 3,115 kg/ha in 2020. Average yields varied across the country, with 3,473 kg/ha in Ontario, 2,969 kg/ha in Quebec, 1,821 kg/ha in Manitoba and 1,481 kg/ha in Saskatchewan.