U.S. canola acres look to drop

Canola acres in North Dakota will likely decline this spring. In March, a drop in canola futures spooked some growers in the state, who decided to seed something other than canola in 2025. “An agronomist told me … that canola seed got switched over to something else within a two week period,” said Tim Mickelson, who farms near Rolla, N.D., and is president of the U.S. Canola Association. “In some pockets, (he) guessed 25 per cent or more off (for acres).” Those decisions from March may have evolved because canola prices have recovered over the last few weeks. In the third week of March, July canola futures were trading around $600 per tonne. Before the Easter weekend, the July contract was valued at $680 per tonne. The price recovery is encouraging, but it is the middle of April. North Dakota farmers may be reluctant to change their seeding plans again. American farmers planted about 2.7 million acres of canola in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Most ...