Canadian Producers Cut Back on Corn; Increase Soy Acres

Just as their counterparts south of the border are expected to do, Canadian producers this year cut back on corn and increased soybean acres compared to original intentions.

A Statistics Canada acreage report released Wednesday put Canadian corn planted area for this year at 3.32 million acres, down slightly from April intentions of 3.47 million acres, while soybean acreage increased to 5.46 million from intentions of 5.3 million. With the increase, nationwide soybean area now tops the 5.41 million acres planted a year earlier. Even with the decline from April, corn area also now still exceeds the 3.27 million acres planted in 2015.

In the primary production province of Ontario, producers reduced corn planted area to 2.05 million acres from April intentions of 2.15 million, almost exactly in line with what was planted in the province in 2015. Meanwhile, soy acres in the province increased to 2.71 million from 2.67 million in April, although that still falls below the 2.9 million seeded in 2015.

In Manitoba, corn planted area is now estimated at 325,000 acres, down from intentions of 360,000 but still well above 250,000 a year earlier, while soybean plantings increased to a new record high of 1.62 million acres from 1.5 million in April and 1.38 million last year.