Canola acreage expected to drop in 2022

Apr 27, 2022

Statistics Canada released an acreage report on Tuesday

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Canola is one of the crops Canadian farmers will be planting less of in 2022.

“Despite high prices and strong global demand for oilseeds, canola area is expected to decrease 7 (per cent) to 20.9 million acres in 2022 as farmers shift to alternate crops such as cereals,” Statistics Canada said in its principal field crop area report in April 26.

Stats Canada’s June 2021 report indicated Canadian producers planted 22.5 million acres of canola.

On a provincial level, Saskatchewan will continue to lead the way.

Growers in that province, which produces the most canola in Canada, are expected to seed 11.1 million acres of canola in 2022.

This represents a decrease of almost 1 million acres, or 8 per cent.

The June 2021 publication said Saskatchewan growers planted 12.1 million acres of canola.

Farmers in Alberta plan to seed 6.3 million acres of canola while producers in Manitoba anticipate seeding 3.3 million acres of canola.

These figures represent decreases of 6.9 and 3.9 per cent, respectively.

Another crop expected to seed its acreages decrease is barley.

Farmers are projected to plant 9.7 per cent fewer barley acres in 2022 compared to 2021, bringing the total acreage to about 7.5 million acres.

Farmers planted 8.3 million acres of barley in 2021, Stats Can said in its June 2021 report.

It’s expected farmers in Saskatchewan will decrease their barley acres the most.

Farmers in that province are projected to reduce barley acres by 17.6 per cent to 3.1 million acres.

Producers in Alberta and Manitoba are also expected to scale back barley acres by 3.9 and 1.1 per cent, respectively.

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.