Oceans of vibrant, fluorescent yellow fields of Canola often fill the landscape of Saskatchewan and Alberta as far as the eye can see. Locally, and through much of southern Manitoba, the fields of Canola are just coming into bloom. This year farmers planted 21.4 million acres in Canola. That is down from 2021. Canada is the world’s largest exporter of Canola.
It is not until you get into the three prairie provinces that you get the first glimpse of how important grain growing is to the economy of Canada. This year Canadian farmers will plant more acres in grain crops, soybeans, corn, lentils, and dry peas than ever. They are working hard to replace the millions of tons of grain that previously shipped from Ukraine, and Russia.
As I drove across southern Manitoba, I was stunned by the shades of different greens in the fields. Wheat, oats, and barley were just beginning to fill their heads. In some areas soybeans were struggling to lift themselves above the sodden soil. In other areas, the soybeans were growing robustly.
When we passed through Souris Manitoba, I learned that the sitting pools of water in the fields were the result of an overnight three-inch rainfall with more expected. The farmers there were looking for a break from rain to allow the crops to rapidly grow and the fields to begin drying out.
Canadian farmers have planted 25.4 million acres of wheat. The total wheat area was led by Spring Wheat which covers 18.2 million acres and Durum Wheat which covers 6.0 million acres. Winter Wheat covers 1.2 million acres. The increase in wheat plantings in Canada reflects the increased world price of wheat.
We had never crossed the prairies in early July before. Our other trips were focused on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Through western Saskatchewan and into eastern Alberta, the land was always a dry dirty brown colour with little life. This year, the land was lush and green – a remarkable difference.
Farmers in Western Canada have planted more land into grains than ever before, to help meet the world food crisis. Both the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National railways have hundreds of grain cars backed up at inland terminals to move last years crops to seaports. The country roads are alive with grain trucks delivering grains to those same inland terminals making room for this years crops.
While most grains are shipped through BC ports, Thunder Bay has seen an increase in grain shipments bound for Europe. We see those long grain trains pass through the district. And more trains will pass through our community delivering the 2022 crop to foreign buyers.
Former Publisher
Fort Frances Times
