Growers have until March 19 to take the Farms.com Risk Management Ontario Planting Intentions Survey
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Farms.com Risk Management is looking for Ontario cash crop producers to participate in an online survey.
Growers have until March 19 to take the Ontario Planting Intentions Survey.
“I’m looking to see what farmers are going to be planting this year in terms of corn, soybeans and wheat,” said Moe Agostino, chief commodity strategist with Farms.com Risk Management.
Specific farmer acreage data is kept confidential, but the aggregate data is compiled into a report. Producers who take the survey will receive a copy of the final report, which is scheduled for release at the end of March.
Agostino and the Risk Management team use the data to project how these crop acres will affect different areas of the ag sector.
“The mix of acres in Ontario helps us figure out what the total supply is, it can help with basis values and helps us determine if Ontario is going to be an import or export market.”
Now in its seventh year, the Risk Management team compare the data from the planting intentions survey with government statistics.
“If you compare our data over the years to what Stats Canada puts out, we’re pretty accurate,” Agostino said.
Agostino offered some predictions on how Ontario’s 2021 planting season may shape up.
There is room for one crop to pick up additional acres, but whether that happens is dependent on weather.
“Most farmers will stick to a rotation and there’s really not a lot of swing acres,” Agostino said. “If it’s an early planting season where it’s nice and dry and hot, I think you add acres to corn. If planting conditions are less than ideal, you tend to lose more corn acres and those would likely go to soybeans.”
Ontario growers planted 2.2 million acres of corn and 2.8 million acres of soybeans in 2020.
Farmers who participate in the 2021 survey will be entered into a random draw to win a prize of $100, $200 or $300.