By Dori Modney - Lethbridge News Now

Canola crowned king of crops as planted acres surpasses wheat

Jul 8, 2017 | 6:20 AM

LETHBRIDGE – Canadian canola acres have surpassed total planted wheat acres across the country for the first time ever.

Statistics Canada figures show Canadian farmers have seeded close to 22.8-million acres of canola in 2017, up 12 per cent from last year.

The increase corresponds with a decrease in wheat acreage, which fell for the fourth consecutive year down to just 22.4-million acres.

The wheat decrease was likely due to a 16 per cent drop in area seeded to durum wheat, which fell to just over 5-million acres, with areas seeded to spring wheat rising to 15.8-million acres. 
 
Dubbed the Canadian creation, canola is derived from rapeseed, which is one of the oldest cultivated crops and has been around for centuries.  In the early 1970s, the Rapeseed Association of Canada selected the name ‘canola’ for its new product, which stands for “Can” for Canada and “ola” for oil.
 
Canola is now used in everything from food processing (oil) to transportation (bio diesel).