Quality of Canadian oilseed-type soybeans 2022

Weather

In eastern Canada, soybean seeding began in May, with some areas in Ontario experiencing rain delays. Quebec experienced ideal planting conditions in the spring and 70% of the crop had been planted by mid-May. Increased precipitation at the end of May pushed seeding into June. Most of the soybean crop in eastern Canada had been planted by mid-June.

In Ontario precipitation during the growing season was highly variable. Western and southern areas of the province received below average precipitation which resulted in crop stress while above average precipitation in eastern Ontario resulted in good growing conditions. Most of Quebec experienced cooler temperatures and lack of moisture throughout the growing season. Favorable harvesting conditions in the fall, led to a relatively quick harvest with most of the soybean crop harvested by mid-October.

In western Canada, an extremely wet spring with heavy rain delayed soybean seeding in Manitoba and only 40% of the crop had been planted by May 31. Most of the crop had been planted by mid-June. The soybeans thrived under hot humid conditions and frequent rainfalls. The harvest period was extended due to late seeding and rain delays in the fall. By late October, most of the soybean crop had been harvested.

In Saskatchewan, a late snow melt and cool temperatures delayed much of the seeding. Seeding was 52% complete by mid-May and not finished until early June. Significant widespread moisture helped crops progress. Dry weather in September and October allowed the producers to harvest with few delays. By mid-October, 92% of the crop had been harvested.

Sources

• Manitoba crop reports
• Saskatchewan crop reports
• Field Crop News

Production and grade

Seeded area and production data for 2022 and 2021 are presented in Table 2. In 2022, seeded soybean areas decreased to 2,111,000 hectares (ha) from 2,130,000 ha in 2021.

Canada’s overall soybean production increased steadily from 2000 to 2022 due to increased production in Ontario. Production in the west has decreased in recent years, however, due mainly to poor weather conditions and uncertainty in the market.

In 2022, soybean production in Canada increased approximately 4% compared to 2021 (Table 2). Approximately 60.5% of Canadian soybeans were produced in eastern Canada, 37.9% in western Canada and 1.6% in the Maritimes.