The USDA issued its Annual Crop Production Report on February 8th. The report showed canola production in 2018 was estimated at a record 3.62 billion pounds, up 18 percent from 2017. The average yield, at a record high 1,861 pounds per acre, was up 335 pounds from the 2017 average yield. Planted area was estimated at 1.99 million acres, 4 percent below the previous year’s acreage.
Production in North Dakota, the leading canola-producing state, was estimated at 3.10 billion pounds. This was up 24 percent from the previous year and a record high production for North Dakota. Planted and harvested area in North Dakota were both record highs.
The average yield in North Dakota was the highest on record at 1,960 pounds per acre.