Paul Martin's Business Update - October 7th

Fewer acres but more volume.

That pretty much sums up expectations for a wide variety of crops this year as harvest is moving into the final stages.

This was a funny year. We got off to a late start when winter just wouldn’t go away. But, despite concerns about getting out of the gate slowly, growing conditions more than offset the early timing. A survey of farmers done about a month ago by StatsCan is adding one more voice to the chorus that is saying 2013’s grain crop is one for the record books.

StatsCan says canola production in this province can be described as less is more. Farmers planted fewer acres to the oilseed – roughly 10 per cent less – but the harvest is pegged at an increase of 24 per cent compared to last year, a new record.

Barley was one with the biggest jump, however. The farmers answering the survey were projecting an increase of more than 40 per cent over last year, something that will be good news for livestock producers who rely heavily on locally-grown feed grains.

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