Statistics Canada: Saskatchewan Crop Yields Expected To Be Very Low Compared to 2020 | The Canadian News

Statistics Canada has published numbers showing how much less grain and other crops are being harvested this year in Saskatchewan.

The drastically low yields are the result of devastating drought for much of the summer when temperatures exceeded 30C.

Wheat is one of the province’s staple crops and is used in everything from bread to breakfast cereals.

StatsCan says total wheat production in the province will drop by nine million tons, or nearly 45 percent.

However, Todd Lewis, president of the Saskatchewan Agricultural Producers Association, says the numbers they project are not yet on par with what growers already know.

“Statistics from Canada, they are always a little behind. They are starting to catch up. The losses, I think, will be greater when we finally finish the harvest, ”Lewis said.

The numbers are not looking any better for canola, and yields are expected to drop nearly 50 percent.

Canola is used in products such as cooking oil and margarine and has always been one of the most important cash crops in the province.

However, the staggeringly low numbers come as no surprise to agricultural journalist Kevin Hursh, considering that Saskatchewan suffered the worst drought this summer in nearly 30 years.

“There are growers who ended up with an average harvest, but there are growers who ended up with little or no harvest, and that is why statistics show such a dramatic decline in average yields and production,” Hursh said.

While the decline means less money in farmers’ pockets, it also means less money for all other industries that depend on agriculture, meaning there is a ripple effect that is sure to occur throughout the economy.

Given these issues, there is a lot of uncertainty about what the crops will look like next year, according to Hursh.

“When you look at such a large moisture deficit in many areas, that’s the difficult part because you are not quite sure if it will be an epic year-long drought or if the drought conditions will ruin 2022 production,” Hursh said.

With low yields and prices for supplies, such as seeds, skyrocketing, many growers are preparing to overwinter in hopes of a better harvest season in 2022.