| | On June 23, 2011, Statistics Canada released a report entitled "Preliminary Estimates of Principal Field Crops Areas, Canada, 2011". The crop area estimates shown for Alberta in the report were generated from a survey of more than 6,100 farms in the province, conducted by Statistics Canada during the period from May 25 to June 3, 2011.
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The report shows that in 2011, the total seeded area of all principal field crops in Alberta has increased three per cent from last year, mainly as a result of strong market prices for grains and oilseeds. With respect to estimates for specific crops, more acres have been seeded to spring wheat and durum, but fewer acres to oats, barley and dry peas, compared to 2010. The canola acreage set a new record, while seeded area declined markedly for lentils, dry beans, mustard seed, triticale and fodder corn. Also, total summerfallow area is down significantly from last year, due to more acreage seeded to crops.
The market outlook for agricultural commodities is the primary factor affecting producers’ decisions on crop acreage. Other factors include soil moisture conditions in spring, farm input costs, and the need for crop rotation.
It should be cautioned that since the 2011 crop seeded area estimates are preliminary, they are subject to revision. Statistics Canada is expected to release the first production estimates of 2011 field crops on August 24, 2011.
For a complete copy of this update, please download the attached pdf file. |
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