Canadian farmers are expected to plant 21.8 million acres of canola in 2026
Increased canola acres are part of Stats Canada’s first look at the 2026 planting season.
In its March 5 principal field crops report, Statistics Canada is projecting 21.8 million canola acres, up from 21.6 million in 2025.
“Higher anticipated seeded area may be led by strong domestic demand as processing capacity continues to expand,” the report says.
Saskatchewan is again expected to lead the way with canola.
Farmers there plan to seed 12.2 million acres. Alberta producers are expected to seed 6.3 million acres, and about 3.2 million acres in Manitoba will be dedicated to canola.
Barley acres also expected to rise.
Nationally, about 6.4 million acres of Canadian farmland will grow barley.
That figure is up 5 per cent from 6.1 million in 2025.
When it comes to barley, Alberta farmers are projected to seed the lion’s share.
About 3.5 million Alberta acres will have barley, Stats Canada says. In Saskatchewan that number is 2.4 million, and Manitoba farmers are expected to decrease their barley acres to just over 304,000 acres.
To make way for some of these increased acreages, farmers are planting less wheat.
Across Canada, 26.7 million of acres will have wheat, Stats Canada’s report says. That number is a 1.1 per cent decrease from 2025.
“If this anticipation is realized, national wheat area would remain well above the five-year average, despite a decrease from 2025, which would likely be attributable to continued strong global demand,” the report reads.
As it is with canola, Saskatchewan is expected to lead the country with wheat acres.
Sask. producers have pegged about 13.9 million acres for wheat, which is a slight decrease from 2025.
Alberta farmers are expected to plant 8.1 million acres of wheat, and wheat acres in Manitoba are projected to dip to 3.1 million.
Canadian farmers are also planting fewer lentils.
On the lentil front, producers are prepared to seed 4.1 million acres, a 5.5 per cent decrease from last year.
“In Saskatchewan, where almost 90% of Canada's lentils are grown, farmers expect seeded area to fall 4.3% to 3.6 million acres in 2026,” Stats Canada’s report says. Meanwhile, farmers in Alberta expect lentil area to decrease 13.4% to 489,500 acres.”
When it comes to soybeans, national acres are expected to hover around 5.9 million.
Leading the way in terms of provincial increases is Manitoba.
Manitoba farmers are expected to plant 1.9 million acres, which represents a 12 per cent jump from 2025.