Newsroom
2003
Hot, dry July plays havoc with crops across the prairies
August 6, 2003
Winnipeg – The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) today lowered its projections for the 2003-04 western Canadian wheat, durum and barley crops due to poor weather conditions across much of the Prairies during the month of July. The CWB is now projecting a combined wheat and durum crop of 20.3 million tonnes, down three million tonnes from its earlier forecast. The projection for the 2003-04 barley crop has also been lowered to 11.4 million tonnes from 12.7 million tonnes.
These projections still represent an improvement over the drought-devastated 2002-03 crop year, with total wheat and durum production projected to increase by 44 per cent and the total barley crop expected to increase by 84 per cent. However, the revised projections for the 2003-04 crop year have been significantly reduced since the CWB issued its initial crop production forecast on June 12, 2003.
“Although spring conditions were promising, the combination of heat and lack of rain during July has taken a major bite out of prospects for the coming year,” said Bruce Burnett, Director of Weather and Crop Surveillance. “These stressful conditions have lowered yield potential, especially in the southern growing area.”
Burnett, who recently returned from an extensive crop surveillance tour across Western Canada, stressed that rains are required immediately to stabilize the situation. “There has been less than 25 per cent of normal precipitation since the beginning of July through much of the southern and central Prairies,” he noted.
The CWB’s projection for world wheat production levels has also been lowered since June by over 10 million tonnes to 545 million tonnes. This decrease is due to the deterioration of crop conditions in the European Union, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Weekly world weather and crop highlight reports can be found on the CWB Web site, www.cwb.ca, under the ‘Growing Grain’ section.
Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. As one of Canada’s biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based organization sells grain to more than 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less marketing costs, to Prairie farmers.
For more information listen in on the End of Crop Year News Conference.
For more information, please contact:
Rhéal Cenerini
Communications consultant
Winnipeg, MB
tel: (204) 983-4497