Canadian farmers reported planting more wheat, lentils, corn for grain and oats, but fewer acres of canola, barley, soybeans and dry peas, according to the 2022 June Field Crop Survey.
Conditions varied across the Prairie provinces early in the growing season. Temperatures were generally below normal for large portions of western Canada. In southern Alberta and western Saskatchewan, precipitation at the beginning of the growing season was well below normal, exacerbating already dry conditions from the previous year. These conditions provided producers the opportunity to seed at a near-normal pace.
By contrast, Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan and parts of northern Alberta received more precipitation than normal at the start of the growing season. While above-average precipitation in these areas helped to alleviate soil moisture deficits caused by the previous year's drought, seeding was delayed as a result. This was most notable in Manitoba, where flooding resulted in seeding progress well below average at the time of collection.
In general, seeding in eastern Canada progressed well. Temperatures were at or above normal early in the growing season. Precipitation was below normal in parts of southern Ontario and the Maritimes, while northern and eastern parts of Ontario and most of Quebec received above-normal precipitation.
Aside from environmental conditions, high input prices, high crop prices resulting from low national and global supply, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine likely impacted farmers' final seeding decisions.
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