Statistics Canada is forecasting more Canadian oat acres in 2025, but less barley.
The federal agency’s Wednesday acreage report pegged nationwide oat planted area at 2.978 million acres, up 2.7% from last year and the highest since 2022 at 3.936 million. On the other hand, national barley area is projected to fall 2% to 6.28 million acres, the lowest since 2017 at 5.766 million.
Barley area is expected to increase in Saskatchewan (+3.7% to 2.398 million acres), while area in both Alberta (-5.6% to 3.309 million acres) and Manitoba (-4.3% to 297,900 acres) is expected to decrease compared with 2024.
Saskatchewan oat area is estimated at 1.304 million acres for 2025, up from 1.263 million last year, while Alberta oat area is seen rising to 837,000 acres from 789,300. At 297,900 acres, estimated Manitoba oat area is down from 311,200 last year.
Today’s StatsCan report is based on a survey of 8,200 Canadian farmers between Dec. 13 and Jan. 27 – long before US President Donald Trump moved to levy a 25% tariff on American imports of most Canadian goods, including grains and grain products. That threat has been paused until April 2 but lurks in the background as the planting season draws nearer.
Canada exports over $17 billion worth of grain and grain products to the US each year — a market increasingly threatened by shifting trade policies.
As of 2023, Canadian oat exports to the US were valued at $580 million, while barley exports accounted for over $200 million.
