MOOSE JAW — Canadian farmers seeded less wheat and barley, choosing to increase acres of lentils, peas and oats this spring, according to the Statistics Canada seeding intentions survey.
Acres in canola were about the same at 22 million with Saskatchewan farmers cutting canola fields 2.8 per cent to 12.2 million.
Wheat acreage is still well above the 25-million-acre five year average.
Spring wheat acres fell 2.8 per cent to 18.9 million; winter wheat acres dropped 5.8 per cent to 1.3 million; durum increased 5.5 per cent to 6.4 million acres
Within Saskatchewan the wheat acreage was about the same at 14.1 million.
Spring wheat acres fell 2.1 per cent in this province to 9.1 million but durum grew 2.5 per cent to 5.5 million.
Barley acres fell 2.8 per cent to 6.4. million with Saskatchewan farmers planting 17.5 per cent less for 2.3 million acres.
Oats acres increased 14.9 per cent to 2.9 million acres in the country but Saskatchewan oats jumped by 22.3 per cent to 1.3 million acres.
Lentil acres increased 14.8 per cent nationally to 4.2 million with Saskatchewan farmers adding 14.1 per cent for 3.6 million.
Dry pea acres increased 5.4 per cent to 5.4 million with Saskatchewan increasing 8.7 per cent for 1.7 million acres,
Chickpea acres were up 43 per cent to 454,000 — the most in three years.
Continuing the decline in acres, flaxseed was down 14.9 per cent to 518,000 acres.
Mustard seed was down 4.9 per cent to 606,000 acres.
Fall rye was down 4.9 per cent to 309,000 acres on a three-year decline.
Canary seed acres were up 13.5 per cent to 256,000.
Sunflower seed was down 41.5 per cent to 99.000 acres
Summer fallow took a jump of 4.5 per cent to 1.7 million acres.
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
