Wheat, canola crops hit record high

Canada's wheat and canola crops hit a record high this year, while corn and soybean harvests declined.

Statistics Canada said Tuesday all varieties of wheat were up nationally this year over last, up 9 per centor 2.1 million tonnes from 2010 to 25.3 million tonnes. Yields also increased 5.5 per cent from last year, up to 44 bushels per acre.

In the West, hot, sunny weather during the summer helped farmers them recover from a damp and late spring in certain areas.InEastern Canada,weather patternsreturned to normal after a particularly wet spring, especially in Quebec's Richelieu river valley.

Prairie farmers reported that canola production increased 10.7 per centfrom 2010 to a record 14 million tonnes. This was the result of a 9.1 per centincrease in harvested acres to a high of 18.3 million acres, and a 1.5 per centincrease in average yield, Statistics Canada said.

Canola production reached new highs in both Alberta (5.3 million tonnes) and Saskatchewan (seven million tonnes), while it declined 25.3 per cent in flood-ravaged Manitoba.

But soybean production inOntario, Quebec and Manitoba declined from record levels in 2010, primarily because of lower yields. Ontario producedthree million tonnes of soybeans this year, a decline of 2.7 per centor 81 600 tonnes from the all-time high set in 2010. The decrease was the result of a 2.4 per centdecline in yield to 44.9 bushels per acre.

Quebec soybean production declined0.9 per centto800000tonnes despite a record harvested area of738,800acres. And Manitoba's productionfellfive per centto 413,700 tonnes, also despite a record high in terms of harvested area. In both provinces, lower yields were to blame.

Corn production also slipped. InOntarioit was down 6.6 per centor 508,100 tonnes from 2010 to 7.2 million tonnes. Quebec production was down 14.1 per centor 480,000 tonnes from 2010 to 2.9 million tonnes.