Canada: Grain Crops are to be above average

The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) is looking for above average wheat and barley crops in western Canada this year.

In its first projection of 2006 production, the CWB thinks western Canadian wheat and durum crop could total 23.6 million metric tons (MT) for the 2006-07 crop year, well above the recent five-year average of 20.7 million MT. Barley output is forecast at 10.5 million MT, just its 10.3 million MT five-year average, AgReport released June 15.

"This is a promising beginning for the 2006 crop in Western Canada," said Bruce Burnett, Director of Weather and Crop Surveillance, who spoke at the CWB's annual weather and crop conditions industry briefing today. "Conditions are good to excellent in areas where farmers were able to plant a timely fashion.

"Northeastern Saskatchewan is the unfortunate exception. Excessive moisture there has taken more than one million acres of out of production."

Recent problems in northeastern Saskatchewan can be traced to last fall, when it was so wet that some crop was never harvested. Near-record precipitation over the winter and heavy rainfall during the month of May have left many farmers in the region unable to plant.