Canadian Farmers Pivot to Canola as Wheat Acreage Slides

The country’s canola fields expanded by 8.4% to reach a historic 23.4 million acres, surpassing the previous record set in 2017. While wheat saw a broad decline—led by a 10.3% drop in Durum and an 11.5% fall in winter wheat—soybean acreage saw a modest climb of 3.1% to 6 million acres. The shift comes despite a challenging spring, where seeding on the Canadian prairies lagged behind historical averages before catching up by the end of May.

Regional dynamics varied significantly, with Manitoba leading a resurgence in soybean interest, marking its highest planted area since 2017 with a 16.2% increase. Conversely, Ontario experienced a slight dip in soybean cultivation. Although seeding in central Canada maintained a normal pace, the federal data agency noted that wet conditions complicated operations in several pockets. Final figures for the 2026 harvest are expected from Statistics Canada in early December, following a survey of roughly 25,000 farmers.