Quality data and highlights of the crop year

Quality data

Highlights

Summary
Agronomic conditions and production information
Number of samples gathered
Farinograms
- CWRS
- CWHW
Mean protein content of milling grades, compared to 2003 and 2002
Protein content - Statistical summary by grade and province
- CWAD (PDF)
- CWRS (PDF)
- CWHW (PDF)

Summary

A combination of low moisture levels in the western Prairies, wet weather in the eastern Prairies and cool temperatures delayed seeding. Planting was completed by mid-June, but some fields in Manitoba and Saskatchewan went unplanted due to wet conditions. Temperatures improved in July in the western Prairies allowing rapid crop development. Yield potential was above average due to adequate rainfall and lack of heat stress, however those estimates have since been tempered by frost, excessive moisture and prolonged cool weather. Frost in the third week of August across parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba caused damage to immature crops. Persistent rainfall and cool temperatures in August and early September delayed harvest progress across the Prairies. Drier, milder weather in late September and early October resulted in rapid harvest progress.

Spring wheat production levels are estimated at 18.0 million tonnes by Statistics Canada, an increase of 13% over last year. Durum wheat production is 5.0 million tonnes, higher than the 4.0 million tonnes reported in 2003. Both increases are the result of increases in agronomic yield.

Overall protein content of Canada Western Red Spring wheat, at 13.3 %, is lower than last year. High grade Canada Western Red Spring wheat shows lower test weight, larger seed size, similar wheat falling number, higher absorption and comparable dough properties relative to last year. Overall protein content of Canada Western Amber Durum wheat at 12.4% is lower than last year. High grade Canada Western Amber Durum wheat shows larger kernel size, good overall milling quality, and slightly increased dough strength over last year. Overall protein content of Canada Western Hard White wheat at 13.1% is 0.5% lower than last year, where it was reported as Canada Western Experimental Hard White wheat.

Analyses are reported for Canada Western Hard White wheat, in its first year as a new Canadian wheat class.

Methodology used to obtain quality data is described in a separate report available on the CGC website.

Agronomic conditions and production information

Seeding conditions

Extremely low soil moisture levels were present in Alberta and Saskatchewan at the beginning of the 2004 growing season. The dry soils delayed fieldwork in many areas of both provinces, until significant precipitation arrived in May. Planting of cereal crops began in early May across the Prairies and advanced rapidly in the western growing areas. Cool temperatures and frequent frosts in the eastern growing areas slowed progress in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. General rains and snow in the third week of May slowed planting but provided much needed moisture for germination. The cool temperatures and frequent rains persisted in eastern areas well into June, resulting in late planting of some cereal and oilseed crops. Seeding was complete by mid-June, although some fields were not planted due to the wet conditions in parts of Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan.

Growing conditions

Cool, wet weather persisted through the month of June in the eastern Prairies, which delayed crop growth. The May through June period was one of the coolest on record in the eastern Prairies. Although western areas of the Prairies were warmer, below normal temperatures were also reported in Alberta and western Saskatchewan. Crop development was generally two to three weeks behind normal in the eastern Prairies by the end of June, while crops in the west were only one week behind normal.

Temperatures improved in the month of July, allowing crops to develop rapidly. Western growing areas received the warmest temperatures, with most locations normal or slightly above normal for the month. Temperatures also improved in eastern areas, but the region still reported below normal temperatures for the month. Rainfall during July was close to normal across the Prairies, which encouraged good crop growth. Yield potential for most crops was above average due to the adequate rainfall and lack of heat stress. Temperatures in August returned to dramatically below normal levels, further delaying crop development. Freezing temperatures during the third week of August caused significant damage to immature crops in parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The cool temperatures persisted into September, resulting in delayed maturity of most crops. Growing season temperatures (May through August) during the 2004 season were among the coolest reported in over 100 years.

Harvest conditions

Persistent rains in late August and early September delayed harvest progress across the Prairie region. Only five per cent of the harvest was completed by the first week of September. The rains caused grade reduction to wheat and barley crops, especially in northern areas of the Prairies. Drier, milder weather in late September and early October resulted in rapid harvest progress. Over 50 per cent of the crop was harvested by the first week in October and over 80 per cent was completed by the middle of the month.

Production and grade information

Western Canada's wheat production was above 10 year average levels in 2004 despite the poor conditions experienced throughout the growing season. Total wheat production for Western Canada is estimated at 23.9 million tonnes by Statistics Canada¹, with spring wheat production at 18.0 million tonnes. Durum wheat production increased to 5.0 million tonnes. Increased agronomic yields accounted for increased production with spring wheat yields estimated at 2.6 tonnes/hectare, and durum wheat yielding 2.3 tonnes/hectare on average across western Canada.

Much of the crop has been downgraded due to the cool wet harvest. The lower grade CWRS resulted from a range of degrading factors including frosted, green, mildew, sprouted and hard vitreous kernels count. The lower grade CWAD resulted primarily from smudge, mildew and hard vitreous kernel content. Tight grading tolerances for these factors ensure that the high inherent quality of the top milling grades of Canada Western Red Spring and Canada Western Amber Durum wheat is protected.

¹Statistics Canada Field Crop Reporting Series Vol. 82, No. 8, Dec. 2004.

Number of samples gathered

Data were generated from quality tests carried out on composites representing over 5000 individual samples submitted by producers and primary elevator managers from the three prairie provinces. Map shows major wheat producing areas in the Prairies. These data are not quality specifications for Canadian wheat. Rather, they represent our best estimate of quality. How closely they represent the exact quality characteristics of wheat of any given grade exported during the coming year depends on the degree to which the harvest survey composites are representative of 2004 production.

Mean protein content of milling grades

The following table compares available mean protein values for each of the eight classes of western Canadian wheat surveyed in 2004 to corresponding values obtained in the 2003 and 2002 harvest surveys as of November 4, 2004. This year includes Canada Western Hard White wheat (CWHW), along with the 2003 value. Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat and Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) show lower protein values compared to 2003. The Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) wheat class shows a decrease over 2003. The protein content of CWHW wheat is lower than last year. Insufficient sample was available to assess the protein content of Canada Western Extra Strong (CWES), Canada Western Red Winter, Canada Prairie Spring White (CPSW) and Canada Soft White Spring (CWSWS) wheat accurately.

All wheat classes, compared to 2003 and 2002
	Protein content, %¹
Class	2004	2003	2002
CWRS	13.3	14.1	14.6
CWAD	12.4	13.6	13.3
CWHW	13.1	13.6	N/A
CWES	N/A	N/A	N/A
CPSR	11.7	12.4	14.5
CWRW	N/A	11.2	11.5
CPSW	N/A	N/A	N/A
CWSWS	N/A	11.4	11.2
¹ Mean value, N x 5.7; 13.5% moisture basis Abbreviations used in this table: CPSR - Canada Prairie Spring Red CPSW - Canada Prairie Soft Winter CWAD - Canada Western Amber Durum CWES - Canada Western Extra Strong CWHW - Canada Western Hard White CWRS - Canada Western Red Spring CWRW - Canada Western Red Winter CWSWS - Canada Western Soft White Spring N - Nitrogen N/A - Not available No. - Number

Last updated: 2005-08-11

Important Notices