MOOSE JAW — The turmoil of lower global grain prices and threats of tariffs on exports have influenced crop planting intentions in Canada.
Acreage intended for wheat, oats, soybean, lentils and fall rye is up in the Statistics Canada planting intentions survey.
Acreage of everything else will be reduced by as much as 20 per cent.
The data was collected before China slapped 100 per cent tariffs on canola and peas, although farmers knew about an investigation by China.
Farmers may still adjust acres for the tariffs.
Wheat is once again the top acreage crop, up 2.6 per cent to 24.47 million acres, the largest planting in three years.
Canola plantings are down 1.7 per cent to 21.6 million acres but Saskatchewan farmers planned a 1.2 per cent increase to 12.2 million acres.
Within wheat durum stays about the same at 6.3 million acres; spring wheat is up 2.5 per cent to 19.4 million while winter wheat jumps 15 per cent to 1.7 million acres.
Saskatchewan wheat acres remain unchanged at 24.2 million with a bit less spring wheat and more durum.
Barley is a big loser at almost 13 per cent for 6.28 million acres, reflecting lower prices.
Saskatchewan barley growers bucked the trend with 3.7 pet cent more for 3.4 million acres.
Flied peas gain 9.5 per cent to 3.72 million acres while lentils are down .8 per cent to 4.17 million acres. Saskatchewan lentil acres are down 1.7 per cent to 3.6 million.
Oats acres are up 2.7 per cent to 2.98 million while fall rye jumped 56 per cent to 646,000 acres.
Flax acres of 448,000 are down 11 per cent for the smallest acreage in three years.
Chickpea acres of 453,000 are down 5.7 per cent while dry beans fall 11 per cent to 357,000 acres.
Canary seed dropped 20 per cent to 232,000 acres with sunflowers down 25 per cent to 59,000 acres.
Soybeans are up 1.4 per cent to 5.37 million acres. Summerfallow, down 17.3 per cent to just over one million acres, is lowest in three years.
