Canada will harvest more wheat and canola than expected, government says

By Rod Nickel WINNIPEG, MANITOBA - Canadian farmers will harvest more wheat and canola than expected a few months ago as crops recover from drought conditions that threatened yields, according to a government report released Monday. Statistics Canada's estimates are trending higher in December's annual report, while the agency's elevated estimate for total wheat production exceeded industry expectations. Canada is the world's fourth largest wheat exporter and the largest canola exporter. Statistics Canada estimated total wheat production at 32 million metric tonnes, the second lowest in six years but an increase from the September estimate of 29.8 million. The new estimate surpassed the industry's average expectation of 31.1 million tonnes in a Reuters poll. "It's a pretty big jump from the fall report. Yields were a little better than expected," said Brian Voth, president of agricultural ...